Dec 21st

We will continue with any last minute poetry Slams. 

In addition to the poetry assignment (which was due Monday) students in EF7A will be working on an in class writing activity. 

Homework for this week: Poetry assignment (if it is not finished) and personal reading.

Ms. B

December 19th

Ms Wark and I were SO proud of everyone who did their Slam poems today!!!!!  It is not easy to get up to the front of the class and present an original piece.  Good Work!!! There are some terrific poets in EF7A. 

For all those students who did not submit their poetry assignment/do their presentation you are now late.  Please be ready to hand in your assignment and do your Slam poetry tomorrow. 

We have a lot to do this week so we are getting ready to move on.  Make sure you are ready for class tomorrow, you will need a pencil and eraser.

Ms. B

December 16th

Poetry assignments were due today, for those who did not get them in....The assignment is late.  Please make sure your assignments are in on Monday.

Monday we will have our poetry SLAM. I am looking forward to your presentations.

Ms. B

December 12th

Keep working on your poetry assignment!!!!!!

The written component of your assignment (your 3 best poems) will be due on Friday December 16th.  Our Slam poetry presentations will be held on Monday December 19th during our double English Period.

Check out the assignment outline and rubric for more details.  Come see me if you have any questions.

Ms. B

December 9th

Ok Guys....one more time...here is the info about the assignment.

On December 16th (1 week from today) you need to hand in 3 poems.  One of these poems must be a narrative poem.  The other two poems are some combination of newspaper poems, "If I were in charge of the world" or Free Verse.  I do not want two of the same kind of poem (but you can choose two newspaper poems provided you hand in one of each kind). Go back and check out the rubric for more information on the assignment.  Also, I will be giving you time in class to work on the assignment provided that you use the time to work and not goof around.

On December 19th (the Monday) we will be having our Poetry Slam.  Be ready to present.  Monday will be a double period so I hope to get through all the presentations on the 19th.

Any questions come and talk to me on Monday!!

Have a great weekend

Ms. B

December 6th

Keep working on your poems.  I anticipate that the due date for the poetry assignment will be Dec 15 or 16th.  At this time I will expect your poems ready to be handed in as well as a Slam poetry performance.

Ms. B

December 5th

The poetry assignment will be due before the holidays.  Which means that you need to keep writing poems.  Work tonight on your narrative poem. 

Ms. B

December 2nd

Happy Friday!!!

This weekend you should continue to work on you poems.  Remember the more poems you write the more choice you will have when you put together your assignment.

You can be working on either Newspaper poems (blackout and cut out) as well as your Narratives.  A Narrative poem is a poem that tells a story.  Make sure that your narrative poem has a story line that you reader can follow.  Also, not all Narrative poems are funny, so don't worry about making it funny.

Don't forget, if you are not writing poems you can spend your homework time reading.

Have a great weekend.

Ms. B

Novemeber 30th

Today we started to talk about Narrative Poems.  A Narrative Poem is a poem that tells a story.  Review your notes for tomorrow and come to class with an idea.

HW: Those students who have still not complete a newspaper poem you need to keep working on those.

Ms. B

November 29th

Thanks for being so great with Mr Sutherland. 

Finish up your newspaper poems (both the cut out and the blackout).  Tomorrow we are moving on.

Ms. B

November 28th

Today we continued to work on our Newspaper poems.  All students should write at least one of each type (cut out and black out).  These can be done at home as well as at school, however all finished poems should make there way to school so that they may be added to our posted collect.  Tomorrow is your last in class period to work on these.

Ms. B

November 24th

Today we started looking at different kinds of poetry.  Thank you so much to those students who brought in poems they wrote to share.

Homework: try to find an article for our blackout poetry.

Ms. B

November 23rd

Thank you to all the students who were willing to share their version of  "If I were in charge of the world".  They were great!!!!  For those students who did not have it done, you must work at getting this finished.  Also, there are some students with outstanding assignment, those need to come in ASAP.

For homework tonight: Read and take a look at the assignment I handed out at the end of the class.  We will go over the assignment in detail tomorrow.  I would also like to see just how well the students are reading poetry, one might expect a little independent poetry reading activity.  One might expect to read a poem and be asked to identify the theme/message (always remember to support your ideas with evidence from the text).

Ms. B

November 21st

I hope you had a great afternoon with Mr. Sutherland.  He was very impressed with how well you behaved especially during silent reading (he couldn't get over how quiet you were!!!) Great Job :)

Mr. Sutherland handed out the "If I were in Charge of the World" handout.  This is to be a fun little activity to get you started writing poems. This is due tomorrow and I hope that you will be willing to share some of your poems with the class.

Homework: your version of "If I were in Charge of the World"

See you tomorrow

Ms. B

November 17th

Have a great long weekend....BUT remember to find a poem and bring it in for Monday!!!!

Ms. B

November 16th

We are continuing our work with poetry.  The students reviewed figurative language and poetic devices today; they should have notes on this.  For homework I asked them to start looking for a poem to bring in to class to discuss.  This can be a poem they like or a poem they hate, but I want them to have an opinion about it. 

Ms. B

P.S.  The students asked if I would attach this handout, I am still discovering this blog but I have copied it in here for any students interested.

Handout

These are the figurative language terms you should know for the poetry unit. This information if from the book Writers Express: handbook for young writers, thinkers, and learners,

Simile	Compare one thing to something unlike it using “like” or “as”	Coat hooks hold winter hats like bare branches hold old nests
Metaphor	Makes a comparison without using “like” or “as”	The street is my heart
Personification	Makes a comparison in which something that is not human is described with human qualities	My eggs stared back like sick eyes.
Hyperbole	An exaggerated comparison	It was so hot we fried
Alliteration	The repeating of the beginning consonant sounds	Many moms making milkshakes
Assonance	The repetition of vowel sounds	The catcher wore a black jacket
Onomatopoeia	The use of words whose sounds make you think of their meanings	Buzz, Thump, Snap
Repetition	The repeating of a word or phrase to add rhythm or to emphasize a certain idea	The wind hissed, hissed down the alley
Rhythm	The way the poem flows from one ideas to the next.  The pulse of the poem	Because I saw no cake, I ate a paper plate
Stanza	Building Block of the poem.  The lines of poetry are arranged in groups.	Poetry is….what poetry does. Poetry sings. It dances. It laughs. It cries. Poetry is rainbow words and star bursts and whispers.  Poetry is the richest part of language.

November 14th

 
I want to start by saying Thank you!! Ms Salinas said that you were a great class.  Also, I took a quick look at the journal handed in and from what I saw they look FANTASTIC.  I won't be able to mark the journals tonight as not many students handed in the rubric.  Could everyone please write their names on the assignment sheet and hand it in to Ms. Salinas tomorrow.  This means that for those students who did not hand in their work you get an extra day.  I hope to get these journals marked quickly.

Today the students had an introductory lesson to Poetry.  The students were asked to graffiti their preconceived ideas, thoughts and emotions on a piece of paper, this sheet will serve as their title page for the unit.

For homework the students can start thinking about poetry and examples of poems they like (or poems they hate - but be ready to defend why you hate them).  Students should also finish their title page.

Ms. B

November 11th

Let me start by saying to those students who participated in the Remembrance Day assembly, FANTASTIC job.  At lunch there was nothing but positive comments and praise, thank you for all your hard work.

Wartime journals are due on Monday.  Take some time this weekend to go back and look at the assignment and rubric and make sure that your work fits the criteria of the assignment. 

I look forward to reading them.

Have a great weekend!!!

Ms. B

November 10th

We are continuing to work on the jounral enteries.  Tomorrow will be your final day in the computer lab and the journals should be handed in on Monday.  Please come with some drafts tomorrow as I would like to give you the opportunity to share ideas and read some examples. 

Tip:  Don't forget to use lots of descriptions.

I am really excited to read what you have been working on.

Ms. B

Nov 9th

Today we went to the computer lab to work on the point of view journals.  From the samples I read, they look great.  Remember you are writing in the first person (you are writing as the character you have chosen).  Also, the more description you put into the journal the more effective it will be.  Keep up the good work.

I would like to have draft of the journals to share on Friday.  Good copies are due Monday.

If you have questions please come see me, I would be happy to help.

Ms. B

Nov 8th

This week is off to a great start.  I handed back the essays I have marked; for many of the students it was there first 5 paragraph essays.  For the most part, the essays had a clear main idea.  If you want to discuss your essay come see me at recess.

We will continue to work on our wartime journal entries.  If you are thinking about presenting your journals at the assembly I need them by Wednesday (Thursday Morning).

Keep up the good work

Ms. B :)

November 4th

Great discussion guys!!!  Too bad about the issues with the computers but we got it all straightened up.  I will try to book the media cart again for Monday.  In the mean time, think about the character you want to portray and see if you can find out some historically accurate facts.  Remember these journals will be written in the first person (as if you are your character).

Come ready to work on Monday.

Anyone who did not hand in there ESSAY, have it ready for MONDAY :)

November 3rd

Today students responded to a current events article.  Most of you finished in class, a couple of you took it home to finish.  I know you have your essays to work on tonight, if you need to come at recess to finish the current events piece I am available first break. P.S. I was super impressed at how well the class worked today. Thank you :)

Homework: Essays are due tomorrow.  You will need to hand in all your plans and drafts, along with your good copy and the assignment sheet.

If your essay is finished and ready to go, you should spend some time reading!

November 2nd

The discussion was really interesting today.  You guys had lots of great comments regarding the current events article.  I didn't want to overload you with homework so I will give you time to work on the response in class tomorrow.  The response will be due at the end of the period tomorrow.

For homework: Keep working on your 5 paragraph essay; they are due on Friday.  Don't forget that about 20min of your nightly homework should be spent on English work.

If you need help on with your essays I am happy to help tomorrow at first recess.

November 1st

I am so happy to see that students are checking out the blog :) I was thrilled to see that I even had a comment, thanks Duncan.

Don't forget your school pictures are due back on November 8th.  Also, I have pushed back the due date for you 5 Paragraph Essay.  The essay is now due on Friday (Nov 4th); I hope that since I have pushed the essay date back that I will have all the essays in.  Today was our last in class day to work on essays; however, I am available at recesses for anyone who would like some help.  Those essays I collected today I will read and get back to you with suggestions tomorrow.

Remember that while you are working on your essay you need to keep your Main Idea in mind!!!!

October 31st

Make sure you are working on your 5 paragraph essays. We will have one more period to work with a peer in class.

I would like them all handed in on Thursday, November 3rd.

Welcome to the English Blog!!

Hello to all the members of EF7A and families!

I have created this blog to act as an online agenda.  Please check in regularly for updates on English and the assigned work.

Given that I am relatively new to blogging, this blog is going to be a work in progress. Please familiarize yourself with the features of our blog and feel free to leave comments or suggestions.

Features:

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Communication:

-As always, please e-mail (Christine.Barrett@ocdsb.ca) or call (613- 731- 4928) if you have any specific questions or concerns.
- Alternatively, if you have a question about a specific assignment or due date, leave a comment on the blog and I can answer the question for everyone!

 Please check back frequently for all the news!