Back to School Night

I hope everyone is able to make it to Back to School Night tomorrow night (Thursday, August 30th) at 7:00pm!  I look forward to seeing you all. I can't believe we will be starting school in less than a week!

Summer Reading Project Options

If you’re wondering what you can do for your summer reading projects, here is a list (this list was given to you at the end of last year).  Which one looks the most fun to you?

Fairy-Tale Ending: Have you ever wanted to change the way a story ended?  Well, here is your chance!  Re-write the last chapter in the story, and make it your own!  Give the story the ending you think it should have.  Don’t be afraid to mix it up! (1-2 pages maximum)

Dinner is served:  Imagine you are invited to dine with a character in your book.  List 5 – 10 questions that you might ask them during your visit, and imagine what their response might be.  Also think about your surroundings: Where are you?  What is being served? Who else might be there? Try to ask questions that people really want to know.

Where in the world? Create a detailed map of where your story takes place.  Show with words or symbols where important events occurred.  Be sure to use plenty of detail in your artwork and description! (Maps can be three-dimensional as well.  Paper maché is a wonderful resource. Get creative with it!)

Scrapbook it! Create a scrapbook based on information you have learned from the story.  Be sure to write captions for each entry/page as to what is being included n the page and why.  You can add items mentioned throughout the story, or create something new by including items that you think the characters might have used or collected.  (5-10 illustrated pages, each with at least one caption.)

Dear Diary: Create 5 journal entries from one of the main characters in the story.  Be sure to include key events in these entries to give us an understanding of when they might have been written.  Give plenty of detail!  Be sure to write one entry from the beginning of the novel, and one from the end. (Each entry should be no less than one paragraph, no more than one page.)

Lights, Camera, Action! Create a movie poster promoting the novel as a popular, new movie.  You can cast real actors as the main characters, or use people you know.  Make sure your poster reflects the time period from which the story takes place, and be sure to show costumes and background detail!

Shadowbox Showcase: Create a shadowbox that shows one of your favorite scenes from your novel.  Be sure that it can sit vertically, so that it can hang on the wall. Imagine that you are capturing a little piece of that moment in the story with your artwork.  Be expressive!

Some of my favorite things: Create a poster of ten of your favorite things about your novel.  Be sure to give a description of each item, and illustrate each caption with either drawings or make a collage. Be sure to explain why they are your favorite!

Remember when… Create a poster of a timeline and show the main events of the story.  Choose at least five main events out of your timeline to illustrate on your poster.  You can illustrate them by either drawing or making separate collages. 

Wanted! Create a wanted poster for either the villain or hero in your story.  Explain who they are and what have done that makes them wanted by the law.  Also give a one-page description of who they are and what they contributed to during the story.

Comic Quest: Create a comic book based on the main events of the novel.  Be sure to include chapter headings and page numbers.  Each illustrated page will need to have captions explaining what is happening in the picture.  (5-10 pages)

On the Cover: Create a book jacket for your novel.  Illustrate the front cover by either drawings or a collage.  Be sure to include your favorite quote on the cover, and write a summary and review for the story.  Try to capture the heart of what your novel is about in your artwork! (Going the extra mile: Research the author of your novel and write a short biography about them on the inside)

The Search for Amelia Earhart's Airplane

Amelia Earhart was one of the world's most famous aviators.  She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic ocean alone in 1932. In June 1937, she attempted the first around-the-world flight at the equator.  She completed about two thirds of her journey, but somewhere between her last stop in New Guinea and her next destination, a tiny island called Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean, she and her navigator disappeared.  She was never heard from again, and the search for her missing plane continues today.  According to Discovery News, pieces of her plane might have recently been found in footage taken by underwater vehicles.  Check out the article to read more: http://news.discovery.com/history/amelia-earhart-plane-located-120817.html  
There is also a theory that Earhart and her navigator made an emergency landing on the coral reef of an island called Nikumaroro and died there as castaways.  To read more about theories of her disappearance, read this article titled, "What Happened to Amelia? 9 Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance." http://www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-amelia-9-tantalizing-theories-about-the-earhart-disappearance
Amelia undoubtedly had a passion for flying airplanes.  She was willing to risk her life for it, and did lose it.  What are you passionate about? The Apostle Paul was willing to lose his life for Christ.  In Paul's letter to the Philippians (Phil. 1:21), he wrote, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."  He wrote "to live is Christ" because Jesus is what life is all about.  He wrote "to die is gain" because he knew that if he lost his life, he would be with our Lord.  I want to have that same attitude about life! 

More Summer Reading Projects

Great job students!

Cover Art by Sophia Trejo

Diorama by Joey Rucker

Scrapbook by Brent Murphy

7th Grade Supplies List

Here is the supplies list for 7th grade (It will also be mailed out):

English Standard Version Bible
Backpack
Pencil box
1 pack of 10-12 plain wooden pencils (will be shared w/ class)
Hand-held pencil sharpener
2 erasers
1 box of pens
Three 1 ½ inch binders
3 sets of 5-tab dividers
2 packages of college ruled notebook paper
1 composition notebook
1 pack of 3’’x 5’’ multi-colored index cards
1 pack of colored pencils
1 package of markers
Student Scissors
2 glue sticks
2 boxes of tissues
1 small bottle of hand sanitizer
Compass

This Day in History

August 4th, 1944 - Anne Frank and her family were arrested by the Gestapo.  I hope you take this time to reflect on all that you learned about Anne Frank and World War II last year.

Summer Reading Projects

Check out a few of the excellent summer reading projects that have been turned in so far!

Wanted Poster By Brent Murphy

On the Cover Project by Mikala Champin

Also, Joey Rucker turned in a great "Dinner is Served" project but I don't want to post it because I don't want to spoil the book for those of you who aren't done with it yet.  But here is an excerpt from it:

Me: "At the end of the story, why did you take the new mission?"

Sir Tode: "Because I knew having adventures was in my blood."

Remember, there is one book project due by the end of each month (June, July, and August), so if you haven't turned your projects in, do it! You won't regret it. Details about the field trip are to come!

This Day in History

July 26th, 1920 - The 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote.  Women had been organizing, petitioning, and picketing for decades to obtain this right.

This Day in History

July 23rd, 1903 - The Ford Motor Company sold its first automobile, the model A.

July 23rd, 1968 - The ratification of the 14th Amendment gave citizenship to African Americans.

July 23rd, 1995 - Astronomers Alan Hale (in New Mexico) and Thomas Bopp (in Arizona) almost simultaneously discover a comet which was named comet Hale-Bopp.

This Day in History

Happy Wednesday! I am going start posting "This Day in History" every so often.

On July 18th, 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (also known as FDR) was the first U.S. President nominated for a third presidential term.  He believed it was his duty to serve as Nazi Germany was stirring up a world crisis.

On July 18th, 1877, Thomas Edison recorded the human voice for the first time.

Also, happy 94th birthday Nelson Mandela! Mandela was South Africa's first black president.  He fought against apartheid (a system of racial segregation) in South Africa for many years.