More information on the Mexican American War

http://www.nps.gov/archive/fosc/mexican.htm - a good site -Fort Scott Historic Site



http://ns3.azteca.net/aztec/war/Mexican-American-War.html - a high school student's essay on the causes of the war



http://www.historyguy.com/Mexican-American_War.html - easy to understand site... offers good info.

Mexican-American War - supplementary from class work today

http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/index_flash.html - this interactive website gives excellent information to support what the documentary showed in class today...

Major ideas:

Manifest Destiny
Imperialism
Expansionism

Go through this website and post your thoughts about this war... what do you think? Was it a just war? Which side do you feel sympathetic toward and why?

Reminders for next week

Notebook checks begin on Monday and will go through Friday- both reading and writing sourcebooks - make sure you have them in class until they have both been checked...
start date will be 4/16 -
make sure to have a complete and detailed table of contents, titled and dated pages and good notes that show you do work in class and continue thinking about work outside of class.

There is a half day on Monday, 6/2. You will be dismissed at 12:00 - (after 4th period)

There is no school on Thursday, 6/5. It is Brooklyn/Queens Day - Enjoy the day (finish last minute work on your blogs)

Exit projects are due on Friday, 6/6

Looking to the future -
Blog presentations begin the week of 6/9 and will go on until they are done... most likely Friday if not Monday

Portfolio work will be going on as well

We have another half day on Thursday, 6/12 when you will be dismissed at 12:00 again.

Class Standards for the year...

We have been talking about the standards all year and as we begin to wind down it is a reflecting time...

Please review the following link to the standards for 7th grade... (I like this website because it makes the standards a little easier to understand)

There are 4 main standards, each with several sub-standards and performance indicators (things you could show you can do)...

Remember 7th grade isn't a commencement year, so if you aren't at a 3 or higher yet on all of them, it's not a big deal... just means you need to continue to work on them next year.

We will be looking at these standards next week - really working on them and reflecting about them...

look at them now and post any thoughts you have on the work we have done this year.

ELA Standards

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=18691&lev=strand - reading strand

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=18690&lev=strand - writing strand

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=18693&lev=strand - Listening strand

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=18692&lev=strand - speaking strand

Social Studies Standards
http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=9&lev=sn - US and NY History

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=21&lev=sn - geography

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=30&lev=sn - government

Blog Invitations

Make sure I have been invited as an author not a reader...



If you don't see my name on the sidebar of contributors on your blog, then I haven't been invited. I am missing 4 or 5 people I think.



Please see me if you are one of these people.

ah...

I still don't get how do you made a glossary. So, do you type the important words and definition from ur blog post and make a glossary of what it mean?
whoever answer my question thanx
x]

How to Cite...This is a great cite from Locust Valley High School

http://www.lvcsd.k12.ny.us/uploaded/Library_Media/Research_Guide_2007-2008_ed_7_formatted.pdf

This whole research guide is very informative.

Blog presentations

In an effort to share all the hard work you have done, you will be giving blog project presentations the week of June 9th. In class today, everyone will sign up for an appointment to present.

Presenting is an opportunity for you to work on your speaking and listening standards in ELA.

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=18855&lev=sn

http://www.nylearns.org/standards/standard_tree.asp?StandardID=18853&lev=sn

It will also give us more time to reflect on the work we've done as a class. You should all be proud of the work you have done and sharing it publicly is an opportunity to give it to our learning community.

Glossaries are due on Thursday

This week, we will be revising in class. I expect everyone to have their glossaries ready by Thursday...



They should have the word, the part of speech and the definition. You may even want to include where the word appears or in your blog or how it is significant to the work you have done.



Remember, this is to help your readers. I would also encourage everyone to continue to work with their partners in these finishing stages... feedback from your peers is invaluable. If they don't understand what you are saying what will others feel about it.



A blog is a public forum and we will be sharing our work. As the next couple of weeks continue now expect to start sharing what you have learned in class.



Expect a lot of reflecting... expect a lot of writing and sharing... as well as listening to others share the same.

Hello and almost Welcome back

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend.

Just a reminder, please make sure to print your blog posts, especially your sources for tomorrow's class. You will need your source information in class tomorrow as we will be working on proper citation. It would be a good idea to have all typed posts so that we can continue to work on revisions.

If you don't print your posts, then you will not be able to work on them in class as we won't have access to the laptops.

See you in class tomorrow (come prepared, please!)

all smiles,
Ms. S

HAVE....

HAVE A GREAT VACATION EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =]
SEE YOU ALL THURSDAY!!!!! =]
HAVE A GREAT TIME IN SCHOOL TOO!!!!! =]

I COULDNT GET THE CODE OF MY WORD SEARCH BUT IM GOING TO SEND IT TO MY EMAIL AND IN SCHOOL CAN U HELP ME GET IT THANK YOU :)

Project topics

I put it here so i don't have to go back to see it Again

Journal entries
letters
timelines
1 act play
character profile - like a biography, offers stats and other important information. Can include a picture, but isn't just a picture. You can also do a resume with this for your person.
poem
essay
monologue
game
obituary
feature article
news article
advertisement
book review
experiment
map
descriptive paragraph (using sensory details)
political cartoon
cartoon
editorial or opinion piece
You should generate written drafts prior to posting... remember, you should always revise, revise, revise

First Amendment rights -

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/12_03/cenlaw.shtml - this article is really interesting. Would love to know what you guys think of this court case. Read the above link and share your thoughts with the class.

Reminders... for Tuesday, 5/27

There is no school on Monday, 5/26

Make sure to bring a copy of your sources and/or all information needed for a bibliography on Tuesday, 5/27. We will be working on how to write a bibliography again and it will be a good opportunity for everyone to practice this important skill.

Another really good blog...

http://ushistorythecivilwar.blogspot.com/

Hi guys! For your exit project, if you guys would like to do a game for one of your genres, like a crossword puzzle or a word search, you guys could go to this website and make one. I wish it would be helpful.

cross word:
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/printable-worksheets/make-your-own/crossword/
Word search:
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/printable-worksheets/make-your-own/word-search/index.php

heyy,
does anyone know how to put a quiz on your blog like raymond and a few other poeple did? thanks
rachel-ann <<<333

Different kinds of journalistic writing

News - hard news and soft news
hard news - breaking news, current events
soft news - feature, entertainment, less timely
Feature
In-depth feature
Entertainment
Editorial
Opinion
Sports news
Sports feature
Obituary

www.newsu.org - sign up and practice work on different kinds of journalistic writing... they have some great free workshops

Spirit Week - Monday 5/19- Friday 5/23

Monday
wear WJPS Spirit week t-shirts
pep rally in the morning
Sports Night Volley Ball game - teachers vs students

Tuesday
Clash day - students wear mismatched topsy-turvy outfits that incorporate the school uniform

Wednesday
Academic Day -
Jeopardy style games in each class
Wear clothing related to a profession of their choice (astronaut, brain surgeon, reporter), incorporating the school uniform

Thursday
Old School Day- students wear clothing of a decade of their choice (60s, 70s, 80s, etc) incorporating the school uniform

Friday
Field Day
Wear your grade's color - no uniform required
We will be at the park competing in various events
Luau Dance - 6:30-9

Reminders and new benchmarks

Today by 5pm - you should have completed 4 blog posts and sent me an email making me aware of your completion.

Due on Monday, 5/19 - 2 more blog posts and a list of new sources emailed with all the old ones as well- those of you who haven't turned in a first set of sources, this is a great opportunity to catch up! If you are doing the blog posts, you have resources... why not start giving other people credit where it is due.

Due on Wednesday, 5/21 -at least 2 images should appear on your site with explanations and proper citation -

Due on Friday, 5/23 - at least 2 more blog posts (8 total) and an email making me aware of your progress. This would also be a good time for you to start requesting a conference if you haven't already

blog question

heyy, does anyone know how to put a picture in your blog posts because i tried copy adn paste and it doesnt work. thanks rachel-ann <<33

Exemplars - Exit project

http://cantforgetthisurl.blogspot.com/ - this is a link to Raymond's blog. Tomorrow in class he will be going over what his process has been like and how he has created his good work. Those of you who have been stuck, please review the work Raymond has done.

http://hllwomensuffrage.blogspot.com/ - Hanlim has also done an exceptional job so far. Although different from Raymond's another good example.

http://731louisianapurchase.blogspot.com/ - Jonathan is doing great work too.

I hope viewing some of your classmates' model work will help inspire each of you.

Already behind...

Some folks are already falling behind in their exit projects... please dilligently try to stay on top of benchmarks. We have put them in place, so everyone has ample time and conference time before they are due. This is not the slack or procastinate.



Please take the work seriously.

Using Poetry as a genre for your exit projects

When selecting poetry as one of your 10 genres, please incorporate a reflection at the bottom which explains what kind of poem you've written the same way you were asked to on the slave poem project. I'd love to see you show me what you've learned by not only creating the poem, but sharing your process with me as well as letting me know it was deliberate.

citing primary sources

http://www.lib.washington.edu/Subject/History/RUSA/#four

http://library.fandm.edu/archives/citingprims2.html

http://info.lib.uh.edu/help/tutorials/citing.html

Moving West

Today in class each student was split into a group that travelled west. Whether you were a gold miner, farmer, woman, native american, or railroad businessman, you left in search of something.

Which group were you a part of? Where did you travel to? Who did you travel with? How did you get there? What route did you take? What problems did you face? Why did you want to go where you were going? When you finally arrived at your destination, was it what you were expecting? What was it like?

What did you think of this experience in class today? Post to the blog... challenges and/or successes?

You will be presenting in class tomorrow in your group, so please come prepared.

Exit Project =]

I'm really having a lot of trouble finding primary source for the treaty of Paris or any other treaty. I tried to look at the websites and the books in the classroom but I can't find any =[
(if anyone can help me or find anything, it will mean a lot thank you)
-Andrea

Extra Info. that I had

I had this book all about statehood dates and decided that it made perfect sense with what the class 731 "mini discussion" had about how certain pieces of land later became a state of our country. So I just decided to share it with everyone.

1) Delaware- December 7, 1787
2) Pennsylvania- December 12, 1787
3) New Jersey- December 18, 1787
4) Georgia- January 2, 1788
5) Connecticut- January 9, 1788
6) Massachusetts- February 6, 1788
7) Maryland- April28, 1788
8) South Carolina- May 23, 1788
9) New Hampshire- June 21, 1788
10) Virginia- June 25, 1788
11) New York- July 26, 1788
12) North Carolina- November 21, 1789
13) Rhode Island- May 29, 1790
14) Vermont- March 4, 1791
15) Kentucky- June 1, 1796
16) Tennessee- June 1, 1796
17) Ohio- February 19, 1803
18) Louisiana- April 30, 1812
19) Indiana- December 11, 1816
20) Mississippi- December 10, 1817
21) Illinois- December 3, 1818
22) Alabama- December 14, 1819
23) Maine- March 15, 1820
24) Missouri- August 10, 1821
25) Arkansas- June 15, 1836
26) Michigan- January 26, 1837
28) Florida- March 3, 1845
29) Texas- December 29, 1845
30) Iowa- December 28, 1846
31) Wisconsin- May 29, 1848
32) California- September 9, 1850
33) Minnesota- May 11, 1858
34) Oregon- February 14, 1859
35) Kansas- January 29, 1861
36) West Virginia- June 20, 1863
37) Nevada- October 31, 1864
38) Nebraska- March 1, 1867
39) Colorado- August 1, 1876
40) North Dakota- November 2, 1889
41) South Dakota- November 2, 1889
42) Montana- November 8, 1889
43) Washington- November 11, 1889
44) Idaho- July 3, 1890
45) Wyoming- July 10, 1890
46) Utah- January 4, 1896
47) Oklahoma- November 16, 1907
48) New Mexico- January 6, 1912
49) Arizona- February 14, 1912
50) Alaska- January 3, 1959
51) Hawaii- August 21, 1959

Manifest Destiny outlines

In class today you were given a timeline and outline for the manifest destiny. Please take some time to go over the two packets.



This will provide you a solid foundation as we move through the information in it. It will also offer you an opportunity to make notes based on these comprehensive ideas.



What did you learn today about the Manifest Destiny and our westward expansion?

Post to this entry now... continue the class conversation.

For the exit proj, is a charachter profile a picture??? Is it considerded one of the ten blogs if we put a picture and then explain a little bit about it at the bottom? thx rachii

The Project Topics

I put it here so i don't have to go back to see it

Journal entries
letters
timelines
1 act play
character profile - like a biography, offers stats and other important information. Can include a picture, but isn't just a picture. You can also do a resume with this for your person.
poem
essay
monologue
game
obituary
feature article
news article
advertisement
book review
experiment
map
descriptive paragraph (using sensory details)
political cartoon
cartoon
editorial or opinion piece
You should generate written drafts prior to posting... remember, you should always revise, revise, revise

19th Century America

http://www.teacheroz.com/19thcent.htm - excellent links and primary sources for all things 19th Century America: Westward Expansion, Women's Rights, Industrial Revolution, Civil War, etc.



http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/19Am.html - another great site with good definitions and information.



Again, if you learn anything interesting and would like to share it, please don't hesitate to post.

Manifest Destiny

Now that we discussed women's right a little and the child labor issues of the early industrial revolution in the 19th century, we are going to be discussing the manifest destiny and the westward expansion in our country during this same time period.

http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/manifest_destiny_overview.html - this is all the beginning of the civil war in our country. We discussed slavery and how it divided our country, westward expansion had something to do with that.

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=311

http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/ejournal/hstryidx.htm - westward expansion

Women's Rights and Child Labor issues in the 19th Century

As a support to all of the interesting information shared in class about important women during this time period and various child labor issues as well, I'd like to post a few websites to supplement class study:

http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm - women's rights and roles

http://www.connerprairie.org/historyonline/1880wom.html -women's rights and roles

http://www.connerprairie.org/HistoryOnline/womrole.html -women's rights and roles

http://www.wsu.edu/~amerstu/19th/hist.html - there is a lot of information here

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRchild.main.htm - child labor issues

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/labor/resource.html - child labor in America

If you read anything that you think is interesting or surprising, don't hesitate to post it to this blog.

Sources Email Reminder

the deadline for the works cited - sources email is rapidly approaching. By 5:00 today I should have at least 3 websites, 3 primary sources and 2 print sources emailed to me.

For those of you still lagging, you also owe me a topic sent via email, a blog invitation as well...

The next deadline after today's sources is the first two blog posts...

Please be ready to do work on your projects in class on any day that you have 2 periods. The first period will always be used for new Social Studies work and the second period on days that you have 2 periods will be used for exit project work.

Bring your questions and materials.

Reminders for the week...

Already past due: email for topic approval, blog invitation, and first round of sources

Due this week:

Wed, 5/14 - 2 blog posts (2 different genres)

Fri, 5/16 - 2 more blog posts (4 different genres total)

Mon, 5/19 - 2 more blog posts and a list of new sources with old sources - emailed

an email should be sent to me telling me that your posts are ready to be read...

does anyone know how to find primary sources on the internet. I forget, and what are print sources. It'll be great if you knew.

upcoming benchmarks...for the project

Due for Monday, 5/12 - preliminary works cited (3 websites, 3 primary sources, 2 print sources) - sent as an email to me at mssackstein@yahoo.com

Due for Wed., 5/14 - 2 blog posts ( 2 different genres - with proper citation) and email sent to me letting me know that I can look at your 2 blog posts

Due for Fri., 5/16 - 2 more blog posts (now 4 total - 4 different genres with proper citation) and at least 1 picture with proper citation

Due for Mon., 5/19 - 2 more blog posts (now 6 total - 6 different genres with proper citation) and at least 1 more picture with proper citation (continually update your work cited)

Blog Invitations are due

They will be considered late if I receive them after 5 today... There are many of you who haven't emailed me your topics and still haven't sent me your invitations...

Check Teacherease if you aren't sure if your topic has been emailed to me and approved. If it is still up as missing then I didn't approve your topic or you didn't email me.

mssackstein@yahoo.com



Please make sure it happens soon.



Monday your sources are due (a few of them at least)

More on writing News

Newspaper writing 101
These are tips for beginners on writing newspaper articles. The were written for participants in the Detroit Free Press high school apprenticeships. (Also see Interviewing 101.)

Writing the story
A story is much like a conversation. It begins with the most interesting piece of information or a summary of the highlights and works its way down to the least interesting facts. There are words or phrases that take you from one topic of conversation to another. Before you know it, you're finished.

Inverted pyramid
You should be very familiar with the inverted pyramid style of writing. You'll likely use it every day. For example, when you call a friend to tell him or her about a big date, you begin by telling the most interesting and important things first. The least important information is saved for the end of the conversation, and depending on how much time you have to talk, that information may not get into the conversation.

That concept also applies to news stories. The lead is the first paragraph of a news story. Usually, the lead is one sentence long and summarizes the facts of the news story in order of most newsworthy to least news-worthy. The reader should know at first glance what the story is about and what its emphasis is.

Here is an example:
Bargainers from General Motors and UAW Local 160 will resume talks in Warren this morning seeking to end a day-old strike over the transfer of jobs from unionized employees to less costly contract workers.
Who, What, Where, When, Why and How ... The five Ws and an H
Depending on the elements of news value, the summary news lead emphasizes and includes some or all of the five Ws and H.
Who names the subject(s) of the story. The who, a noun, can refer to a person, a group, a building, an institution, a concept -- anything about which a story can be written.
The who in the lead above are the bargainers from General Motors and the UAW.
The what is the action taking place. It is a verb that tells what the who is doing. Reporters should always use active voice and action verbs for the what because they make the wording direct and lively.
What are the bargainers doing? The lead says they will resume talks.
When tells the time the action is happening. It is an adverb or an adverb phrase.
When will the bargainers resume talks? This morning.
Where is the place the action is happening. Again, it is an adverb or adverb or adverb phrase. In our story, the where is Warren.
Why, another adverb, explains the action in the lead. The bargainers are meeting to discuss the transfer of jobs.
How usually describes the manner in which action occurs.

The lead
The lead sets the structure for the rest of the story. If the lead is good, the rest of the story comes together easily. Many reporters spend half their writing time on the lead alone. One guiding principle behind story organization is: The structure of the story can help the reader understand what you are writing about. The structure should lead the reader from idea to idea simply and clearly. The object is to give readers information, and wow them with convoluted style.
News lead
In one of their bloodiest raids into Lebanon in years, Israeli warplanes killed dozens of Muslim guerrillas with rockets and machine-gun fire Thursday as they pounded a training camp of the pro-Aranian party of God.
Quote lead
``I have the worst job in the Army.'' This is an example of a good quote lead because the reader asks, ``What could that possibly be?''
Description lead
Penciled sketches of an air strike, complete with renderings of F14s and Patriot missiles. And on the ground, tiny people run for cover. That's how 8-year-old Jimmy Zayas pictures war in the Middle East...
Like a beauty pageant entrant, Donald Hofeditz struts his vital statistics. He curls his thumb in his waistband to show he's a size 36, down from 40. He pats his stomach where 50 pounds used to rest. And he rubs his chest about his now healthy cholesterol level of 177.
Hofeditz even relishes showing his ``before'' pictures. The pot-bellied 70-year-old in the early 1980s was unable to cut his backyard grass because of the cumbersome weight.
Bad lead
A reminder to those who enjoy good new records. The library has 22 new records which it is willing to loan out! The students are invited to come and look them over!
In the first place, the opening sentence isn't even a sentence. There are times when sentence fragments are acceptable, if you use them effectively, but that first sentence isn't one of them. Is it news that the library is willing to ``loan out'' materials? That's what libraries are for. The word ``out'' is unnecessary. And ``loan'' is an adjective or noun, not a verb. Make it ``lend.'' A better way to express the thoughts in this lead would be: Twenty-two new records have been placed in the school's lending library, the head librarian announced.
Transitions
With one-sentence paragraphs consisting of only one idea -- block paragraphs -- it would be easy for a story to appear as a series of statements without any smooth flow from one idea to the next. Block paragraphing makes the use of effective transitions important. Transitions are words or phrases that link two ideas, making the movement from one to the other clear and easy. Obvious transitional phrases are: thus, therefore, on the other hand, next, then, and so on.
Transitions in news stories are generally done by repeating a word or phrase or using a synonym for a key word in the preceding paragraph. Think of block graphs as islands tied together with transition bridges of repeated words or phrases.
Direct quotes
You should use direct quotes:
an obviously authoritative voice
to answer the questions ``why, how, who, or what?''
Use a direct quote after a summary statement that needs amplification, verification or example.
Remember, a direct quote repeats exactly what the interviewee said. If you don't have a person's exact words, you can paraphrase, but you cannot change the meaning of a person's words. And when you paraphrase, you must never use quotation marks.

Putting it all together: News story
By RICHARD A. KNOX
Colleagues of polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk said Wednesday that they are ready to mount large-scale trials of his AIDS vaccine in thousands of people infected with the AIDS virus. The Salk group, which had been criticized for promoting the vaccine without sufficient documentation, this week published the first scientific report of its results. The group's research showed that growth of the human immuno-deficiency virus slowed substantially in infected volunteers given three injections of the vaccine.

The report, in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, comes at a time when researchers are discouraged about efforts to make an effective AIDS vaccine -- either to treat HIV-infected people, such as Salk's subjects, or to prevent infection, such as classic vaccines against polio or smallpox.

``Both approaches have their problems with this virus,'' said Dr. Thomas Merigan of Stanford University, a prominent AIDS researcher. The virus' ability to elude immune defenses ``is the most powerful tool this virus is using against us now.''

Writing News:

from media awareness:
Formula for a Well-Written News Article
1. First paragraphIn your first one or two sentences tell who, what, when, where, and why. Try to hook the reader by beginning with a funny, clever, or surprising statement. Go for variety: try beginning your article with a question or a provocative statement.

2. Second/Third/Fourth paragraphsGive the reader the details. Include one or two quotes from people you interviewed. Write in the third person (he, she, it, they). Be objective -- never state your opinion. Use quotes to express others' opinions!

3. Last paragraphWrap it up somehow ( don't leave the reader hanging. Please don't say...."In conclusion" or "To finish..." (yawn!) Try ending with a quote or a catchy phrase.

Use active words (verbs that show what's really happening.)

Take notes when you interview. Write down quotes! Tell the really interesting info first!

When Writing Editorials or opinion pieces on your blog...

How to Write an Editorial

What is an editorial:
An editorial is one of the writing styles used to express an opinion or reaction to timely news, event or an issue of concern. Most editorials are used to influence readers to think or act the same way the writer does.

Not all editorials take sides on an issue but have one of the following four purposes:
1. Inform: The writer gives careful explanations about a complicated issue.
2. Promote: Writer tries to promote a worthy activity. Get the reader involved.
3. Praise: The writer praises a person or an event.
4. Entertain: The writer encourages or entertains the reader about an important issue.

Steps to writing your editorial:
Selecting: Choose an issue ~ Your editorial could be about how the readers could help the environment,inform the public about a particular endangered species, praise an effort by a group who has helped to take an endangered animal off of the endangered species list, or any other idea that can be used as an editorial...first check with your teacher to make sure it is an acceptable article.
Collecting: Gathering Support ~ Gather as many details to convince others about your opinion (use Cornell Notes). (Facts or evidence, written statements from sources or authorities in the subject (experts), comparisons to similar situations to support your argument, pictures or images that strengthen your argument, be able to counter argue your opponents on this issue.)

Connecting: Remember to brainstorm before you write the first draft ~ Body should have clear and accurate details and examples. Give strong arguments in beginning of editorial and at the end. Show the opposing arguments and their weaknesses (paragraph 2). Offer a solution at the end. Do not be wishy washy. Stick to your argument or opinion. Correcting: Getting it right ~

Your editorial should be clear and forceful.

Avoid attacking others, do not preach, paragraphs should be brief and direct.

Give examples and illustrations (quotes give strength).

Be honest and accurate.

Sample of what could go into the five paragraph editorial:
a personal experience, the thesis statement
explanation of the other side of the issue
examples to support your point of view
reasons for your point of view
the last paragraph should restate your thesis statement and end on a positive note



Work Cited:
Sebranek, Meyer and Dave Kemper. The Write Source 2000. Burlington: Write Source
Educational Publishing House, 1990

Philadelphia

Those of you who attended Wednesday's trip, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I feel like it was a great opportunity to learn through creating experiences of your own.



Please take some time to reflect on your experiences...



What did you learn? What did you like the best? What surprised you? What would you like to return to see at another time? Would you have liked to spend more time anywhere?



Please post to this blog.

Poetry Slam

After listening to your classmates' poetry today, what did you learn? Who's pieces stood out most? What did you enjoy about the experience?

Please post to this blog...

Reminders

Your topic emails are now past due... if we spoke today in class about your topic ideas, please make sure to email me what we discussed in our conference.

Tomorrow by 5 PM - your blog invitations are due.

By Monday afternoon, your sources email are due.

Citing Pictures

How do you properly cite pictures? Thanks to whoever answers!

Raymond's Class Discussion

In class I read Chapter 25, working in iron mills. It was mostly about a group a people that had less rights than others. They said that everyone were free and worked for themselves except two groups; slaves and people who worked in factories, mines, and mills. For people who had to work in mills, they entered as young as 9 and left only when they died. They had to work 14 hours a day and 6 days a week. Just like there were abolitionists for slavery, there were also people who supported and help fight against this. A specific person mentioned was Rebecca Harding. She grew up in Wheeling and that was a place which had some industrial structures. When she grew up, she loved reading and later became a published writer. One of her most famous writings was the article she had written for a very famous magazine back then. The article was about the horrible conditions inside the iron mills. This article is famous because it helped inspire people to see the insight of the terrible things that was happening to these people. Those working in metal mills(mills for making metal, steel, iron, etc.), had to carry around vats of burning liquid, inhaled carbon monixide, and chemical vapors. Some children had to finish work that required men's muscles. Some of the work places were mentioned to be living hell because of the smell, vibration, and especially the noise. Even though this happened back then, it's still happening today. A very recent topic would be the 'slaves' working in China for very low wages. This relates because they had to work at an early age also, worked in bad conditions, and didn't get paid that much at all.

Chapter Summary

The chapter that I read was about labor in America. It spoke about how before factories opened up in America, most people only worked for themselves, mostly farmers. If these farmers were lucky, they could sell or trade their extra crops for money or whatever else they needed. When factories opened up in America, they were filled up very quickly by women and children for a very sad reason; they would work for amazingly low wages, giving up their time to support their families. This connects to the world today, because in certain countries, people will work for almost nothing at all, either because they are illegal immigrants or because they greatly need the money. My chapter had at least 3 primary documents, including a description of the paper-mills, a letter from a young working girl, and even a little bit from Harriet Tubman! Cheap labor is a very sad and unfortunate thing that tells us that some people really need help and that we are fortunate to have whatever we have. The chapter that I read taught me many interesting things!

By Jonathan P.

731

Rachel S's Class Discussion

I read Chapter 4 of book 6, called Harriet, Also Known as Moses. I read that Harriet Tubman as a young child went through a lot of hardships because even the simplest things, such as falling asleep, will get severe punishments like getting beaten very hard by her mistress. She became very clever, tough, brave, and had much knowledge as she grew up. Harriet ran away from her mistress, hid in a pig pen, but was forced to return back because she was starved eating only leftover potato peels. Her parents had to care for her until she was healthy again. Harriet also taught herself how to read and write, by remembering how white men and women spoke. One day a slave was escaping and her master said to go catch him, but Harriet refused to move, so the master threw a weight and accidentally hit Harriet right in the head instead. This incident made her faint and fall asleep often. Since no one would buy her in the auctions, she was put to work with the master's most trusted slave which was actually her father. Harriet's father taught her all about survival. One day she escaped in the Underground Railroad and decided to go back South to rescue her family that was left behind. She also helped in the Civil War and married a veteran of that war in the end.

I am not able to connect with this because this whole chapter was just on Harriet Tubman.

disclussion in class today

In my humanities class today, my group and I read chapter 24. Chapter 24 is about an African woman named Sojourner Truth, really tall women with allot of pride and dignity. When she heard a men talking about women being weak, Sojourner was really mad, but she claim herself down. But the men kept on talking about it and Sojourner can't take it anymore, so, she quickly disagrees and augured. She said that she was as powerful as men and eats as much too. She also said she have many more hardship that she went through, such as her children being sold out, as she cried. This speech made everyone see to her favor. Sojourner was treated badly when she was a slave before. She has 13 children and she ran away and tried to buy her children back. But her master sold one of her child before she could. It's against the law. So, she went to court and won her child back. Isabella was her real name. She changed her name to celebrate her freedom, she decides to travel around, and speak for truth and justice. When she spoke, people listen. She wore a banner with the word ''proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof'' which is also written in the liberty bell. She was invited to the white house by Abraham Lincoln and she fight for women right and black right.

Lawrence's Share of the class disgustion

I read chapter 24, A Woman Named Truth.
I read that she was a really tall black slave woman that had a lot of pride and dignity. When she heard someone making a public speech on how woman were weaker and inferior to men, she argued and spoke loudly. she told the man that she was as powerful as any man and could eat as much too. She had told the crowd that she had endured hardships that they couldn't imagine, such as crying as she watched her children being sold. this speech put tears into the listeners eyes and made them favor her. As a slave Sojourner was treated badly and soon she ran away and tried to buy her children back, but before she could, one if her children were sold, which was illegal. Sojourner Truth found a lawyer, went to court and won her child back. That told her that the court was fair and could be trusted. Isabella was her real name but she changed it to Sojourner Truth to celebrate her freedom. With her she traveled and fought for truth and justice. When she spoke people would listen and when she spoke she wore a banner that said, "proclaim liberty throughout the land onto all the inhabitants there of", which was also written on the Liberty Bell. throughout the rest of her life, she fought for womans rights and for black rights.

These are the details i read about her and i noticed that she was a very strong woman and had a powerful voice. I really cant connect this to anything I know of in todays world though.

Pacing your way through the exit project... first benchmarks

Due Wed. 5/7 - email your exit project topic to me - mssackstein@yahoo.com

Due Fri. 5/9 - create a blog and invite me to it - mssackstein@yahoo.com

Due Mon. 5/12 - have a list of at least 3 web sources, 3 primary sources and 2 print sources - either up on your blog or written in your sourcebook. Make sure to have all the appropriate information for your bibliography.

Title, author, publisher, place of publication, date of publication

ela exam

What concern on my ELA EXAM is, what kind of question they are going to ask. I want to know more about the multiple choice. Is the test going to be hard? Are there going to be tricky question? I also want to know about how many question, are there going to be in the test. Are there going to be question that we learned about?

Modern Slavery

We had a very interesting discussion today about modern incarnations of slavery. You all had wonderful things to say and some of you changed your mind.

Then channel one discussed Nelson Mandela and how he fought and fights for human rights. What do you think?

Post ideas here if you didn't get to share in class.

homework for the weekend

Make sure to read the various posts about the exit project... write down any questions you have about the project for Monday. Also, if you have a topic that you are interested in, write that down too so it can be approved.

goals

my goal this year is pretty much.
1] I need to finish my homeworks or projects on time

2] finish all my missing work

3] be more organize

4] pay more attenton in class

EDITTING

SOMETIMES THE MOST EASIEST THING FOR ME TO RECOGNIZE WHEN EDITING IS THE PUNCTUATION.

THE MOST DIFFICULT THING FOR ME IS GRAMMAR.

make up blog post

Goals:
What are your goals for the rest of the school year?
To be a better writer and listen to the teacher when ever she is talking.
Also, I have to participate more.

Editing:
What kinds of errors are easiest/hardest to recognize when editing your written work?
the easiest is the spellings and the run on sentences.
The hardest is the the punctuations to find.

ELA exam:
What are your main concerns for the ELA exam?
my main concern is my reading and note taking because I am very weak in it.

Standards:
Which standards do you feel you've mastered so far?
Which standards do you still need to work on?
The standard I think I mastered is rewriting things and understanding my work.
Standards I think I should still work on is spelling and punctuations.

goals of the year

1. To finish the missing work i have to make up

2. To improve my grades be for the end of the year.

3. Get organized way better!

Editing

Recognizing the error of editing is hard. One of the trouble that I am facing is grammar. I also have to proofread, so I didn't get anything wrong. Editing is easy sometime because, you can realize your mistake when you write it out.

Sonnet

Remember a Sonnet is ALWAYS a 14 line poem with a specific rhyme scheme.
There are two different kinds of sonnets, the Petrarchan (Italian) and the Shakespearean (English).

The Petrarchan: 2 stanzas containing an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).

Octave - abbaabba

sestet- cdecde or ccddee or cdcdee or cdcdcd

The Shakespearean: 4 stanzas containing 3 Quatrains (4 lines) and a couplet (2 lines). A real Shakespearean Sonnet follows iambic pentameter (the 10 syllables per line), but we will not hold you to this for this project as long as you are close to 10 syllables.

stanza 1: abab
stanza 2: cdcd
stanza 3: efef
stanza 4: gg

Hope this quick review helps!

Narrative Poem

The important thing to remember when creating your narrative poem is that it needs to tell a story. There also needs to be a beginning, climax and an end. Remember the slave letters that we read in class. These may help you come up with some ideas for a narrative poem.

Symbolism

When an object, item, word, symbol has a deeper meaning most often symbolizing something else. Symbolism is when an author uses something, such as a rose, to signify some idea. A rose, for example, could signify love or beauty.

Some more examples:
The scales to symbolize justice
A dove for peace
The rose for love, beauty or purity
The lion for strength and courage

Symbolism is the use of a person, an object, a place, or an idea to represent itself and something beyond itself at the same time. Two recognizable examples of symbolism are the Stars and Stripes on the flag; this is the symbol for the United States of America. Another well-known symbol is skull and crossbones, which we all know represent something poisonous.

Again, you do not need to show symbolism in every line of every stanza. Good Luck!

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response. As a figure of speech it is not intended to be taken literally. Hyperbole is frequently used for humour. Examples of hyperbole are:

They ran like greased lightning.
He's got tons of money.
Her brain is the size of a pea.
He is older than the hills.
I will die if she asks me to dance.
She is as big as an elephant!
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
I have told you a million times not to lie!
The media and the advertising industry often use hyperbole (which may then be described as hype or media hype).


Here is a link with some fun examples of Hyperbole : )

http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/hyperbole/hyperbole2.html


Good Luck and remember not every line has to be a hyperbole. One or two examples per poem are fine. Just make sure to point out in your reflection what your hyperbole was and why its a hyperbole.

Makeup (concerns for the ELA test)

During the ELA test I had no concerns not becuase I knew I'd get high scores but because my stategy's always been to forget about thinking of what would happen if I Failed or how hard it will be and just do my best and relax in the days before

Words in our poems

Ms.Sackstein
Can we use old african words in our poems if we put the meaning of it in the back, or make a glossery?