Farewell Class of 2015 by Michael

The Island of the Blue Dolphins

The 6th graders just finished reading The Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell.  After they created timelines of the significant events in the story.  View the timelines below.

Jeopardy Review

It's hard to believe that we are entering the final week of the school year.  This week as a review, you are going to create jeopardy questions for a Jeopardy Review Game.  First we'll brainstorm a list of all the topics we covered this year, and then write questions in the format of a jeopardy game.
Example:
Answer:  Brian used this to create fire.
Questions:  What is a hatchet?
Click here to go to the Jeopardy Lab 
The 6th grade Template is barnardla (username & password)

Click here to play the 6th Grade Jeopardy Game
Click here to play the 7th Grade Jeopardy Game

Example of a Jeopardy game--

Create a Greek God

 Trading Card

 You will be choosing a Greek god to become an expert on.  You will be creating a Trading Card about your god.  You will find information about your god at the sites listed below.

Greek Mythology Resources:                                 

Greek Mythology

Mythweb

Theoi Greek Mythology

Family Tree of the Greek Gods 

Encyclopedia Mythica 

Greek God videos 

Greek God games and actitivies 

Here's your job:

Create a Greek God Trading Card

1.  Choose a god to make a trading card.

2. Use the resources listed below to research your god.  You need to be able to answer the questions below. You may take notes  or complete the graphic organizer.  (Click here to access the graphic organizer)

·      Where do you read or see your god?  What myth?

·      Identify the following character traits:  physical and personality

·      What is your god’s most important thoughts?  Feelings?

·      What is your god’s problem or challenge in the myth?

·      What does your god want to happen by the end of the story?

·      Does your god succeed?

·      What memorable thing does your god say?

·      What is one interesting or important action made by your god?

·      How does your god get along with others?

·      Do you like your god?  Why or why not? 

·      Does your god remind you of anyone?

3.  Find image of your god.  Save image to your desktop

4.  Click here to go the Trading Card Creator and begin creating your Greek god Trading card.  Be sure to complete all the sections!

5.  Click Finish editing when you are done.  Then click Finish.  Save your Trading card so you may access it later.  If you need to edit it be sure to save as draft! 

6.  When you are done (be sure to proofread/edit), take a screen shot of your trading card to upload onto your blog.

7.  Create a new blog post.  Label it Greek God Trading Card.  Upload your image onto the post.  Publish!

8.  Print out a copy of your trading card to share with class.
9.  Click here to view Greek God Trading Card Rubric

Island of the Blue Dolphin

You have finished the Island of Blue Dolphin by Scott O'Dell.  Think about the plot structure and identify at least 10 significant events in the book.  Be sure to have an event in each section of the book:  exposition (introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution (conclusion)).  Complete the graphic organizer identify each event, the significance of the event, page number, section in the plot it occurred, and an image that goes along with the event.  When you finish, create a time line of the major events in the story.

You may use the following interactive timelines:
Tiki Toki
Hstry
myHistro

Graphic Organizer for timeline

Perseus and the Gorgon

Watch the video of "Perseus and the Gorgon" below.  Click here to complete the graphic organizer comparing the three versions of the myth you have read and watched.


Watch Storyteller-Greek Myths - Perseus and the Gorgon in Educational | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Creating a Mini-Page

For your final assignment in Writing, you will take your knowledge about a subject you have studied or researched in any class this year and turn it into a newspaper, modeled after the Mini-Page.  A good topic for this assignment would be one you have already researched and know a lot about--you will not have much time to do new research.  You could even use the topic of your Fireside Chat for this project. 

Click here for the Mini Page assignment and Template

Not sure exactly what a Mini Page is.  Look at the examples below. Or visit the Mini Page archive.
Our Fragile Butterflies
Rosa Parks
Political Parties

Oral Traditions--Tall Tales and Fables

We are beginning a new unit!  We will be studying Oral Traditions and storytelling, starting with the study of American Tall Tales and Folklore.  Today you will learn about some of the New Hampshire folklore and some legendary heroes in American Folk history.  Complete the questions on the handout and enjoy learning about some bigger than life heroes!

 Quizlet-  Oral Tradition Flashcards.  Study the definitions of important terms you need to know during this unit.

Complete the worksheet on Folk Heroes (click here for a copy of the worksheet)-  Use the sites below to find the information.

American Folklore-  Use this site to find tall tales from different parts of the country
Tall Tales -the basics  A lot of good links to different tall tales
American Tall Tales-  good site with some videos to watch
Animated Tall Tales- a fun, interactive site to learn more about tall tales
Myths, Folklore and Fairy Tales- Read different myths and legends from around the world
Aesop's Fables- online collection of Aesop Fables

Here are some good resources to learn about American Folk Heroes

"Tall talk, or exaggerated storytelling, began in the 1800s as a way for Americans to come to terms with the vast and inhospitable lands they’d come to inhabit – thick, dark forests filled with bears and panthers; treeless, arid deserts and plains; towering mountains; and uncharted seacoasts.  The heroes and heroines of the tales were like the land itself – gigantic, extravagant, restless, and flamboyant.  Their exaggerated feats of courage and endurance helped the backwoodsman face the overwhelming task of developing such a land."   --American Tall Tales, by Mary Pope Osborne, 1991. 

Tall Tale Heroes  --Links to information and resources on many American Folk Heroes (see left side of page)
Fact Monster- information on Tall Tale characters

A Midsummer's Night Dream

Watch these videos for an overview of the play

8th Grade Holocaust Final Project

William Shakespeare--A Midsummer's Night Dream

Want to learn some interesting facts about Shakespeare to impress your friends and family?  Click here to watch the presentation below.

We will be reading A Midsummer's Night Dream. Click here to use the pdf version or go to the Floger website.

Folger version of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Here's another version of the play 
Read Charles and Mary Lamb's story version of the play

Here's a brief summary so you will understand what's happening:

In A Midsummer Night's Dream, residents of Athens mix with fairies from a local forest, with comic results. In the city, Theseus, Duke of Athens, is to marry Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Bottom the weaver and his friends rehearse in the woods a play they hope to stage for the wedding celebrations.

Four young Athenians are in a romantic tangle. Lysander and Demetrius love Hermia; she loves Lysander and her friend Helena loves Demetrius. Hermia’s father, Egeus, commands Hermia to marry Demetrius, and Theseus supports the father’s right. All four young Athenians end up in the woods, where Robin Goodfellow, who serves the fairy king Oberon, puts flower juice on the eyes of Lysander, and then Demetrius, unintentionally causing both to love Helena. Oberon, who is quarreling with his wife, Titania, uses the flower juice on her eyes. She falls in love with Bottom, who now, thanks to  Robin Goodfellow, wears  an ass's head.

As the lovers sleep, Robin Goodfellow restores Lysander's love for Hermia, so that now each young woman is matched with the man she loves. Oberon disenchants Titania and removes Bottom’s ass’s head. The two young couples join the royal couple in getting married, and Bottom rejoins his friends to perform the play.