Holiday Celebrations Resources

Holidays: At-a-Glance (Dictionary definitions)

Kwanzaa: Celebrates African heritage, unity and culture

Las Posadas: A nine-day celebration with origins in Spain, now celebrated chiefly in Mexico, Guatemala and parts of the Southwestern United States, beginning December 16 and ending December 24

Hanukkah: An eight-day Jewish holiday, also known as the holiday of lights, celebrated by lighting candles on a menorah each night.

Chinese New Year: An important Chinese holiday, that celebrates the Chinese lunar new year.

Please use the book and online resources to answer the following questions:

• What is the name of the holiday?
• Where is it celebrated?
• Who celebrates this holiday?
• When is this holiday celebrated?
• What are some of the traditions?
• What are some of the foods eaten for this holiday?
• and bonus fun facts provided by you!

Online Resources:

Kwanzaa

http://pbskids.org/arthur/holiday/scrapbook/kwanzaa.html#pg-kwanzaa1-(Arthur)

http://www.holidays.net/kwanzaa/story.htm

Las Posadas

http://www.santas.net/mexicanchristmas.htm

http://www.zuzu.org/mex.html

Hanukkah

http://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/358959/jewish/Chanukah-Guide.htm

http://pbskids.org/arthur/holiday/scrapbook/hanukkah.html#pg-hanukkah1-(Arthur)

Chinese New Year

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/ChineseNewYear/ChineseNewYear.aspx

http://web.uvic.ca/~mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html

Holiday Celebrations Research Project

Winter Holiday Celebrations Project


During this time of the year, most of us are very excited about the upcoming holidays. There are many different celebrated holidays. How much do you know about the holiday traditions celebrated by people from different cultures? 
In this project you will work in a small group to learn about a winter holiday celebration that may be unfamiliar to you. After researching your assigned holiday, you and your group will create a poster to teach others in the class about the holiday you’ve studied.


The job of each group is to:

1. Research a winter holiday celebration using the resources provided.

2. Answer questions about the holiday you’re studying.

3. Create a poster/slideshow to teach others about your holiday.

4. Present to the class.

This is worth a project grade, 50%.

You will be graded on meeting the requirements.

Participation counts!

Reminder: Story Due Friday, December 6!

Please remember that your realistic fiction story is due at the beginning of Friday's class!

Realistic Fiction Story Due Date

First Draft Due: Friday, November 22nd

Second, Edited Draft due: Tuesday, December 3rd

First Trimester ends: December 6th

Grammar Games and other Online Resources

Road to Grammar

Wacky Web Tales

Sheppard Software: Grammar






To Appropriately and Legally Use Images

Google Images Safe Search

Scene Writing

Creating Great Leads

Leads need to hook the reader, and get them to keep reading!

Sachar, Louis. Holes. Dell Yearling, 1998.
“There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very large lake here, the largest in Texas. That was over a hundred years ago. Now it is just a dry, flat wasteland. There used to be a town of Green Lake as well. The town shriveled and dried up along with the lake, and the people who lived there. During the summer the daytime temperature hovers around ninety-five degrees in the shade-if you can find any shade. There’s not much shade in a big dry lake. The only trees are two old oaks on the eastern edge of the “lake”. A hammock is stretched between the two trees, and a log cabin stands between that. The campers are forbidden to lie in the hammock. It belongs to the Warden. The Warden owns the shade. Out on the lake, rattlesnakes and scorpions find shade under rocks and in the holes dug by the campers.” 

Blume, Judy. Superfudge. Puffin Books, 1980.
“Life was going along okay when my mother and father dropped the news. Bam! Just like that.” 


Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. Yearling, 2002.
“Here we go again. We were all standing in line waiting for breakfast when one of the caseworkers came in and tap-tap-tapped down the line. Uh-oh, this meant bad news, either they'd found a foster home for somebody or somebody was about to get paddled. All the kids watched the woman as she moved along the line, her high-heeled shoes sounding like little firecrackers going off on the wooden floor.” 

Writing scenes that move your story forward!

Action=Change:

When is a scene a scene? When something changes. 
What defines the completion of a scene? The moment of change.

Character:
Consider your character traits
Words: What does the character say throughout the story?

Actions: What does the character do throughout the story?

Feelings: How does the character feel throughout the story?

October 29th: National Cat Day!

Happy Cat Day, Students!

Here are some cat facts:

• Cats sleep 16 hours of any given day. (Animal Planet)

• Cats have dreams. They start dreaming when they reach a week old. (Animal Planet)

• The Maine Coon is appropriately the official State cat of its namesake state. (Animal Planet)

• A cat can reach up to five times its own height per jump. (Animal Planet)

• Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10. (Random Facts)

• Cats spend nearly one-third of their waking hours cleaning themselves. (Random Facts)

• The average cat weighs 12 pounds. (PetsWeekly)

. 

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/10/28/2767665/national-cat-day-2013-is-oct-29.html#storylink=cpy

Painting Pictures with your Words!

One way to enhance your writing is to create descriptive sentences. When a sentence is full of specific details, the reader is able to envision a picture in his or her mind. Thus, you are aiming to paint a picture with your words!

Let's take a look at some sentences.

1. The plump, chestnut brown-colored squirrel  sat on the thin, leaf-filled branch, clutching an acorn to his chest.

2. There is a bird. 

3. The blond-haired girl stared open-mouthed at the pure white, falling snow outside her moonlit window. 






















Now, check out these photos, and create your own descriptive sentences to go with them!


3.

4.

Simile and Metaphor Quiz on Monday!

Reminder: We will have our Simile and Metaphor Quiz during class on Monday! Don't forget to study this weekend!

Week of October 1-4: Assignments

Due to NECAP testing, we will not be meeting during our Language Arts class until this Friday. You will need to complete the following, due in class, Friday, October 4th:


1. In your Writer's Notebook, please write 2 or 3 more topics, based on experiences in your life.

2. Next, continue with the Issues entry.

Issue Examples:
* bullying
* injuries that prevent one from playing sports
* struggles with math, science, or P.E.

Please come up with at least 3 issues/problems that could impact a realistic character.

It will be easiest to do this with your story ideas. So, for instance, if you want to write a story about a student who is entering a new school, you could list one of the issues as having a hard time making friends.

3. Continue with the Traits "T-Chart." Create some of the internal and external traits of your character, and decide whether they are internal (on the inside) or external (on the outside.)

T-Chart Example:

Internal (Inside)	External (Outside)
Creative	12 years old
Artistic	Blond hair
Good at math	Brown eyes

**Create at least 2 traits for each side.

4. Please begin your grammar packet. Read and complete pages 1-6.


Checklist:
___ Write 2+ topics in your Writer's Notebook

___ Write 3+ issues in your Writer's Notebook

___ Complete a T-chart, with at least 2 traits for each side

___ Complete pages 1-6 in your grammar packet

Questions? Email me at kwright@aos93.org or come in to see me before school or before dismissal.

D.E.S.C.R.I.B.E.

In Your Writing Include...

Details and
Extras with the 5
Senses and
Colors so that the 
Reader can be
In the action. This changes the writing from
Boring to 
Exciting!

• Describe: to tell or depict in written or spoken words (dictionary.reference.com)
• Use details! Describe what is happening with all of the little details you can think of!

• 5 Senses

(www.glessnerpromoblog.com) 

• I walked into my new classroom. This becomes...
• I slowly entered my new classroom for the first time. I was nervous, and my senses seemed to heighten. The noises of students chatting excitedly to each other echoed in my ears. I took a deep breath, and a mixture of smells greeted my nose. It smelled like freshly sharpened pencils and the distinct smell that must be coming from the brightly-colored whiteboard markers. A man in a dark, forest green jacket stood at the door, smiling, and beckoning me in; he must be my teacher! I fidgeted with the nylon strap of my black L.L. Bean backpack before entering. I licked my lips, and found the crumbs from my peanut butter toast I choked down before dashing to the school bus this morning.

• Colors: Paint a picture with your words.
• My favorite dress is blue. This transforms into...
• My favorite dress is a seafoam blue, like the waves of Pemaquid beach lazily crashing on the sunny shore. It has bright white sleeves, as bright as newly-fallen snow.

Homework assignment: 9/20/13

Due on Monday

Please write down two past experiences that could be turned into future pieces of realistic fiction. These will then be turned into your first Writer's Notebook entry.

Class Rules

We will be working together to create our class rules. Everyone will be held accountable for abiding by these rules.


Be Respectful
Show consideration for other students and staff.
Listen to the teacher and pay attention. Do not interrupt the teacher.
Do not call people names.
Do not put your head down on the desk.

Be Responsible
Fulfill obligations and be accountable for your actions.
Don't throw your iPad.
Don't be late for class.
Use your iPad in accordance with teacher directions and expectations.




Be Safe
Don't throw pencils.
Don't try to lift desks up.
Don't tilt in chairs.

First Assignment

Let's start off our year by reflecting on summer, and how we spent our summer vacations. This assignment is a two-step process.

Step One: Each student will be responsible for writing two paragraphs about his or her summer. Please create a new Google Drive document, and include your name in the title.

Here are some topic suggestions:

• Employment: Tell me about your summer job.

• Fun in the Sun: Talk about a few of the outdoor activities you did. 

• Family and Friends: Did you visit any relatives, and spend time with family? Did you enjoy seeing friends?

• Adventure: Did you experience any exciting adventures, or go anywhere fun?

Make sure you use plenty of details to describe each topic!



Step Two: After you have successfully finished your two paragraphs, you will create a Wordle, a word cloud of your writing. The Wordles will be uploaded to our blog, for all of us to see!



Allow me to provide you with my example!



Step One:

This summer was a busy whirlwind for me. It was fast-paced, as I worked almost every day at at least one of my jobs. I worked at Davis Island Grill and Shaw’s Wharf. Davis Island Grill was a restaurant located in Edgecomb. I waitressed there until they suddenly closed down at the end of July. Shaw’s Wharf is a seasonal restaurant in New Harbor. I have worked at Shaw’s Wharf since I was in high school. I love waiting on customers and spending time with my co-workers.

When I was not at work, I engaged in a few outdoor activities. I bought an Old Town flat-back canoe and devoted as much time as possible to canoeing on Damariscotta Lake. I also had the opportunity to go camping at the Last Resort in Jackman. I spent a weekend with my family in one of the log cabins on Long Pond. We have been going to the Last Resort for the past few summers. We went hiking on several of the trails near the camp, which was wonderful.

Step Two: