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= August: Short stories to review elements of literature? Definitely-I would also like to include an overview of the various genres and their effects on the elements. I use to have a consice unit on this using the shortest passages in the anthology. I will have to find the candidates in the 8th grade book. Which genres would you like to use? My gut says to hit on the basics and a few subsets of each. Fiction, (historical fiction, science fiction, allegory, myths, fables) things that they will encounter later on; non-fiction (instruction manuals, essays [persuasive, declarative, interrogative]. I would like to keep the short stories under 20 pages. However I've found that using a few longer short stories can help the kids prepare for reading longer elements. I spent the evening looking at the short short stories--we have several under three pages. These will be great for quick paced genre study. Then definitely longer ones when we are back in the saddle. I have recently discovered that Gordan Korman does school tours and gives writing workshops. Is that something that to consider? Once again my knowledge of money matters ends at my own budget. = = September: = = October: Touch on suspense/horror/terror. Students tell ghost stories, read scary stories, write scary stories. Always fun I think this is were we could use the Raven and the porter stories. I have a great idea to help students create their own stories. We could put note cards on the board in several categories (characters, setting, event, genre) and the students have to pick a card from each category to create their story. I think that would be a good way to introduce them to writing. From there we could move them into their own creative writing, which would also help them in planning for their writing test. We have done this in the past. Students do enjoy it and its a fun group activity. I don't think we did it last year. = = November: What is the other novel we m ust read? I think that the other novel we have is __Glory Fields.__ I know that it was purchased accidentally for 8th grade and that we were being prodded to use it. I have not read it, so I have no basis in it. I love this book we read it with the gifted 8th graders in Rowan county. It is a great survey of the 250 years of African American history. Jan said we had more copies coming over from the high school. This will be added to my list of readings. = = December: = = January: Begin Harlem Renaissance Unit. (2 weeks on Harlem Renaissance Literature 2 weeks on research and paper writing techniques) What do we read in this unit?? During this unit we focus on writings from famous African Americans (Poetry, Civil Rights speeches, MLK speech towards the end of the unit, and things along that line) Mrs. Jackson has a fabulous list of authors we can use to help fatten this unit up. The research project is honestly the hardest part of this entire element. The students I had, had no conclusive idea of how to do reasearch related to their topic. They focused primarily upon their person's life history instead of their influence on the H. Renaissance. I think we need a better way to approach this. Are you familiar with Big six? It is a research method advocated by the American Association of School librarians. Students have a tendency to exibit "please spoon feed me" tactics. Big 6 helps. We used it extensively with the group you taught last year. This most recent year we did not. THe rising eighth graders wrote bios of civil rights leaders focusing on the impact a person had on the movement. I felt your pain. Very difficult for them to get it. It goes back to the basics of thesis and support. If they could understand the concept of a person who makes an impact it might help. What if we started off having them quick write about a teacher who has impacted their lives? They have been writing informational text since third grade. I am not familiar with the Big 6 approach but it has been added to my research schedule. I do like the idea of having them write about an influential teacher. I believe that this is good way to begin their thought process. By the time they've reached this point we should be able to take proofreading to a new level through the process. = = February: A Raisin in the Sun. Perhaps a school play? School play is doable. I had to write and win a grant to fund the one two years ago. How much are we looking at for a school play? I'm completely in the dark about the real costs of running a school. I like to live in ignorance, but it is beginning to be a burden. Year before last we accomplished a children's play "Big Bad" on a seven hundred dollar budget. I think a majority of the cost would come from purchasing the playwrights. Costumes could come from Goodwill and thrift stores. I can research the costs of the play. = = At TyroMS I had over 3000.00. We had been doing a play there for about seven years and got to bank the gate. LMS we didn't get to charge. We gave a performance at Pickett Elementary and one at LMS. It was not part of the school budget. We did it as a club $200 club budget and a $500 bright ideas grant. = I would like to try to put on this play. I believe that it would be a great way to bring in students and parents. I've heard from many parents last year that absolutely loved the story and they were excited to know that their children would be reading it. Imagine their excitement at children participating in the play. Are there any grants that focus on community involvement? We could spin it to be a community outreach?

= March: Just a thought... A modest proposal. I've always wanted to teach this but I'm not sure that our students would entirely understand without a major background lesson. Perhaps we could add parody and satire to our short story genre session? = = April: Mid-April EOG Review begins. Questionella again. Review RUNNERS. This was the saving grace this year. I would like to focus on understanding what questions are asking of them. Many, many, many students simply didn't understand what they were being asked. = = May: = = June: This is after EOGs and they are ready to leave, why don't we use that to our advantage. They could write letters to the editor in support of summer programs or similar items. =