Spring break!

Hey guys, great work on the family bios--we are finishing up our work on Black Boy this week, and then starting on graphic novels after the break!

Here is a sneak peak of what to expect!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_%28Vertigo%29

bbb

It Has Been a While...

Hello my 7th graders!

So, by now we have finished our family tree projects and are now moving into phase two of our work: writing a biography on our families!

We will be working on our biographies for the next couple of weeks of this year, and they will be due after the winter break. This means you will have time to interview some of the people you will be writing about, and refine and polish your writing piece to turn in when we return from break in January!

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/biography/a/bio.htm

This site has some interesting tips and suggestions for you when you start writing your biography. Also refer back to your Word handout that has all of the requirements for the assignment!

Poetry

As we continue with our work reading and analyzing poems, I think it would be helpful if I posted the link to the page we have been visiting a lot, www.poemhunter.com

Here you can find a lot of famous (and lesser known) poets' work along with their biographies. Get online, pick a poem, and take some time out of your day to really appreciate the words and phrases that make a good poem come alive!

Also, I encourage everyone to keep reading outside of class, (remember your book reports are due October 30th) and with reading in mind I'll leave you with an article about a woman who is trying to read a book a day for an entire year! I challenge you to try and do 10% of that!!



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/nyregion/12towns.html?_r=1

bbb

new word wall word

denouement |ˌdānoōˈmä n |
noun
the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
• the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear : I waited by the eighteenth green to see the denouement.
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: French dénouement, from dénouer ‘unknot.’

hence |hens|
adverb
1 as a consequence; for this reason : a stiff breeze and hence a high windchill.
2 in the future (used after a period of time) : two years hence they might say something quite different.
3 (also from hence) archaic from here : hence, be gone.

The Lighter Side of the News

Every once in a while I enjoy reading a news piece that is just plain silly. Here is a funny one about a real news paper running a fake news story. Lets this also serve as a warning to you that everything that glitters is not gold on the internet!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8237558.stm

Also check out the "fake" news site the story was pulled from, The Onion. There are always some funny headlines on there to brighten your day.

www.theonion.com

bbb

New Word Wall Words!

Hey guys. First things first, there is more news out on Caster Semenya, the 18 year old 800 m. runner who has come under intense scrutiny about her sexual identity...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/8250469.stm

Also, we have some new word wall words--make sure you are keeping them up-to-date in your own personal document file.

advent |ˈadˌvent|
noun [in sing. ]
the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event : the advent of television.
• ( Advent) the first season of the church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays.
• ( Advent) Christian Theology the coming or second coming of Christ.

genealogy |ˌjēnēˈäləjē; -ˈal-|
noun ( pl. -gies)
a line of descent traced continuously from an ancestor : combing through the birth records and genealogies.
• the study and tracing of lines of descent or development.
• a plant's or animal's line of evolutionary development from earlier forms.

narrative |ˈnarətiv|
noun
a spoken or written account of connected events; a story : the hero of his modest narrative.
• the narrated part or parts of a literary work, as distinct from dialogue.
• the practice or art of narration : traditions of oral narrative.

stanza |ˈstanzə|
noun
a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse.
• a group of four lines in some Greek and Latin meters.

diction |ˈdik sh ən|
noun
1 the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing : Wordsworth campaigned against exaggerated poetic diction.
2 the style of enunciation in speaking or singing : she began imitating his careful diction.

connotation |ˌkänəˈtā sh ən|
noun
an idea or feeling that a word invokes person in addition to its literal or primary meaning : the word “discipline” has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression.
• the implication of such ideas or feelings : the work functions both by analogy and by connotation.
• Philosophy the abstract meaning or intension of a term, which forms a principle determining which objects or concepts it applies to. Often contrasted with denotation .

aural |ˈôrəl|
adjective
of or relating to the ear or the sense of hearing : aural anatomy | information held in written, aural, or database form.

tactile |ˈtaktl; ˈtakˌtīl|
adjective
of or connected with the sense of touch : vocal and visual signals become less important as tactile signals intensify.
• perceptible by touch or apparently so; tangible : she had a distinct, almost tactile memory.
• designed to be perceived by touch : tactile exhibitions help blind people enjoy the magic of sculpture.
• (of a person) given to touching others, esp. as an unselfconscious expression of sympathy or affection.

Word Wall

Hey guys, here is our word wall for the year. If you ever lose your own personal file, you can come here for reference. I will also be adding to the word wall with some special words I think you might need as well.

Enjoy,

bbb

Word Wall.

1. literary |ˈlitəˌrerē|

adjective

1 [ attrib. ] concerning the writing, study, or content of literature, esp. of the kind valued for quality of form : the great literary works of the nineteenth century.

• concerned with literature as a profession : it was signed by such literary figures as Maya Angelou.

2 (of language) associated with literary works or other formal writing; having a marked style intended to create a particular emotional effect.

2. derive |diˈrīv|

verb [ trans. ] ( derive something from)

obtain something from (a specified source) : they derived great comfort from this assurance.

Noun—derivation.

3. etymology |ˌetəˈmäləjē|

noun ( pl. -gies)

the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

• the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning.

4. phonetic |fəˈnetik|

adjective Phonetics

of or relating to speech sounds : detailed phonetic information.

• (of a system of writing) having a direct correspondence between symbols and sounds : a phonetic alphabet.

• of or relating to phonetics : phonetic training.

DERIVATIVES

5. collocation |ˌkäləˈkā sh ən|

noun

1 Linguistics the habitual juxtaposition of a particular word with another word or words with a frequency greater than chance : the words have a similar range of collocation.

• a pair or group of words that are juxtaposed in such a way : “strong coffee” and “heavy drinker” are typical English collocations.

2 the action of placing things side by side or in position : the collocation of the two pieces.

6. juxtapose |ˈjəkstəˌpōz; ˌjəkstəˈpōz|

verb [ trans. ]

place or deal with close together for contrasting effect : black-and-white photos of slums were starkly juxtaposed with color images.