Dialect

"Monstah" or "Monster"?  "Old Man" or "Father"?  What is the difference?  For Tucker and Anvil, it is a difference in dialect and gives us clues to their background.  What else can you tell about a character based on their dialect?

Type in the paragraph of dialect you wrote for homework.  Click "comment" below, type your paragraph, sign your name after your writing, click anonymous, and publish your comment.

Harlem Renaissance

As we prepare to read the Langston Hughes poem, Harlem, we will research the Harlem Renaissance in order to better understand from where the poet is coming.

Use the article below in order to answer questions regarding the Harlem Renaissance. 

Harlem Renaissance Article

Mood Again

Let's try this again... Please cut and paste your paragraph and check grammar.  I will give credit for these posts.  Be sure to sign your name under your paragraph.  Thanks!

Exploded Beach Moments

An exploded moment looks at life through a microscope so that you can appreciate all of the fine details of a moment.  Today we will be brainstorming some of the things we can see, hear, taste, touch and smell at the beach.  Use our class ideas or your own in order to explode a moment on the beach.  Post in comments below and sign your name.

Welcome to 7 Red!

Hello everyone!  I am very happy to be meeting all of you on this finale of August and summer. This day reminds me of the opening to Natalie Babbit's novel, Tuck Everlasting. She writes, "...August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning.” Please join me as this pause comes to an end and we ride through 7th grade together. Click on "Comments" below and post about what you are leaving behind with summer, what you are looking forward to, and any questions that you might have. Enjoy!

Using Imagery to Describe

Roald Dahl describes pear drops as having a "dangerous taste" because they "smelled of nail varnish and froze the back of your throat."  Describe one particular type of candy using this kind of imagery.  Write a few sentences which show about your choice of candy and appeal to my sense of sight, taste, touch, hearing, and/or smell. 

iPad

Received a new iPad today and I am looking forward to using it in the classroom. How many of you use iPads, iPods, or iPhones? If you do, what are some of your favorite apps?

Trillions of Cells

I am completely amazed by what goes on inside each of the trillions of cells in our bodies. Take a look at this short cell video to see the animation of this wonder.

Happy Summer!

Hello to all of my new students and to any of my former students who are visiting! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer...I would love to hear about what you have been up to if you would like to post a comment below (just click on the "comments" link below, write your comment and post - you may click "anonymous" if you wish since you do not need an account to post a comment). Summer is short so appreciate every minute...read, play, relax!

Descriptive Language

Post a comment with an example of some of the figurative or descriptive language you used in your long comp on Tuesday. How creative did you get?

Here's my example: "The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning." from Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt

Favorites Survey

I am currently taking a class on Google Docs and I am trying out the survey feature. Please take my survey!

Pavement Drawings

Believe it or not, all of these drawings were done on flat pavement but give the illusion of being 3-D...amazing! Search for Julian Beever online to see more. Wow.

Capable of Evil

After today's discussion, I want to know what you think. If you knew Tucker and Anvil, which one do you think you would be more likely to be friends with? Who is more evil: Tucker or Anvil? Why?

Inessa's Art & Writing Websites

As many of you know, Inessa Burnell from our 7 Rockies team is an amazing artist and writer. Following are links to her websites. I highly recommend browsing and reading!

www.elainsilverblood.webs.com

www.elainsilverblood.deviantart.com

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

This poem by Robert Frost reminds us to appreciate the things we value. What is "gold" in your life?

Outsiders Glog & Scavenger Hunt

You may link to the above glog at the following:
http://scott7red.edu.glogster.com/the-outsiders-setting/

Imagine if this were your school...

The link below will take you to the education section of the UNICEF website. I know when we toured the United Nations building in New York last year, I was awed by the conditions of some of the schools in our world. Take a look at a few examples in the pictures above. Log on to the website below and look at the photojournal or another section of this site to discover just how lucky you are.

http://www.unicef.org/voy/explore/education/explore_education.php

Team Hoyt

We have been talking so much about "equality" and "handicaps" lately, that I think it is time we put a new spin on things. Rick and Dick Hoyt are a father/son team from Massachusetts who have run over 1,000 road races, including marathons, triathlons, and multiple Ironman triathlons. They have even bicycled across the country and have run in our local Slattery's Turkey Trot, a race my own father directs. The trick to this is that Rick Hoyt is a non-verbal quadriplegic, meaning he cannot talk or move most of his body. Rick's father pushes him in a wheelchair as he runs, swims with his son attached to a dingy, and rides a two-person bicycle as they compete. Rick says "When I run, I feel like I am not handicapped." This is reason enough alone to get Dick to train and compete for his son. When asked what Rick would do if he was not in a wheelchair, he comments, "I would have my father sit in a chair so that I could push him." We will watch the attached video this week to be inspired by this duo.

Breje on Scholastic

Check out the link below to Scholastic's website section "The Stacks" where Breje teaches the reporter how to dance. I was so excited to see that he recommended the Maximum Ride series, gave a shout out to math and geography, and credited his family and Michael Jackson as his inspiration. Good for you Breje for giving the advice "Usually, we wait for someone else to make the change. Instead of waiting, why don't you make the change yourself?"

http://blog.scholastic.com/ink_splot_26/2009/09/breje-teaches-kid-reporter-matt-to-twist-wit-it.html?cid=6a00e55007a31488340120a5b0c4ba970b

Smile

A smile can hint at happiness, hide a nerve, and have a conversation all its own. We are reading "I Just Kept On Smiling" this week and I have a question. What makes you smile?