Monthly Archives: September 2008

No school tomorrow for Rosh Hashanah!

See you Wednesday. And, great job on your HW on the debates!

Due Monday, October 6
Interview a friend/family member about an important historical event he/she lived through. Assignment includes a photo/sketch and write-up with a specific format. See assignment handout for all specifics.

It is best to interview someone in person, so plan ahead based on who you can see over Rosh Hashanah, during the evenings or, even next weekend.

Note: You will also be receiving other nightly homework assignments in addition to this one, so use your time wisely!

Important Notes:

1. Attached please find the letter and assignment for Friday’s presidential debate that we emailed to your families.

2. The eighth grade student representative elections will be open. Momii’s class will hold theirs on Friday and Sarah’s on Monday. Anyone who wishes to run should write his/her speech and practice for the appropriate day and be ready to rock!

Due Thursday:
Read pages 3-11 of To Be a Slave and complete the handout.

Due Friday:
Complete the Melzer assignment detailed on yesterday’s blog. (You will receive another assignment tomorrow due Friday, so do plan ahead!)

Tuesday, September 23

Note: The following assignment is due Friday. You will, however, have core homework tomorrow night and Thursday night, so I recommend you do this tonight or, at least, that you do the bulk of it tonight! 🙂

Due Friday, September 26:
1. Look up and define: a/coherant b/apathy c/civil disobedience d/tyranny e/precedent (we did two of these in class).

2. Finish annotating entire Meltzer essay, “Ordinary People In Their Own Words.”You should have 2-3 notes (questions, comments) on each page, at least.

3. Complete handout on Meltzer essay, numbers 1-5; we will do #6 together in class Friday.

There is no formal homework tonight.

You should spend at least 1/2 hour reading an independent book.

Be ready to work in groups tomorrow reading Milton Meltzer’s “In Our Own Words”.

Great job on your Civil Rights Action Art Gallery!

Core All – Since Sarah will be out of the building on Thursday and Friday, we have posted h.w. for the next two nights. Please read through it. We will go over any questions that you have in class.

Due Thursday:
1. Complete the gallery reflection.

2. Turn in the reflection, brainstorm, Artist’s Action Statement, and comment sheet all together! (If I have one of these things in class, than bring what you have.)

Due Friday:
1. Using my feedback, revise your “Theme for English B” poem and turn it in with all drafts.

2. Use the following form for your final poem draft (not the usual school heading): your poem’s creative title; directly under it your name following the word “by”; the revised and 100% edited poem; and finally, at the bottom, write: Inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem “Theme for English B” or something like it to give him proper credit!

Due Monday:
1) Thoughtfully respond to the film “A Simple Justice: The Story of Brown v. Board of Education.”

2) Using my edits (and other edits that I may have missed), revise your Action Artist Statement. We will have another art gallery showing and your statement should be in final draft form. By Monday you must turn in: project brainstorming, Action Art piece, Action Artist Statement final draft.

Monday, September 15

Due Tuesday

1. Remind your parents that tomorrow night is curriculum night from 6:30-8:3opm! It is for them to hear all about your classes and what the year will be all about.

2. Spend one hour on your Civil Rights Action Art Project (check the post from Friday to read the assignment).

*Be sure you are doing ART (not a report or project) as we talked about today. Think to yourself:  “Is my project helping the viewer FEEL  empathy (or something???) towards the civil rights issue?”

*Remember, the assignment is to turn in the artwork with your brainstorm and a 2 paragraph explanation on Wednesday by 8:20 AM.

O n g o i n g

Booktalks!

Due Monday

Begin your Civil Rights Action Art Project (assignment sheet: click here):

1. Complete the brainstorming portion of the assignment. You should spend about 10 minutes on this part.

2. Spend 45 minutes working on your artwork (or more if you want to!).

3. Be sure to bring in your materials to work with in school Monday.

O n g o i n g

1. Book talks!

2. Final Civil Rights Action Art Project (brainstorm AND artwork AND artist’s action statement) due Wednesday by 8:20 AM!

Due Thursday, September 11

Read attached packet “President Eisenhower’s Choices on Little Rock” (note packet is from a PDF file and is missing this title). Underline key portions and answer the questions (6 total).

O n g o i n g

Booktalks begin Friday! Be sure you are ready and have timed and practiced yours on the day you signed up to go.

Due Wednesday, Sept 10

1) Define the key terms from “Eyes on the Prize” on page 1 of the handout.

2) Read the article in the handout and underline events and/or people that strike you as particularly important to the history of integration.

Do not complete the 4 questions that ask you to reflect on the video. We will do this in class.

Due Tuesday, September 9:

Answer the following questions, one paragraph (5-7 line) per question.

1. What surprised you about the primary sources you viewed today on segregation? What did not surprise you and why?

2.  Do you think segregation is an issue that we need to continue to confront today? Why or why not?