We completed our film studies notes and began viewing Secondhand Lions.  The film studies guide is posted here and in on the ELA 8 page on this site.

Students completed their response questions to the poems on page 206-209.  We used google presentation to create visual presentations to accompany five direct quotes from one of the poems.  This activity is located in google classroom as is a copy of the poems used. 

We completed our work and discussion of music video as a medium and began examining two poems that are accompanied by illustrations in our text.  Students commented on the appropriateness of the illustrations and began responding to questions related to the poems. These questions are due for Friday.

We completed our intro to media studies notes today and began examining music video as a medium.  Students viewed "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Trouble" as examples of this medium.  We began responding to these examples in class.

Most students submitted their essays today for final assessment.  We visited the library to exchange and renew AR reading materials.  AR goals should be met by March 17th.  We began our new unit with an introduction to media as a term and cited several examples of modern media.

We revised and edited one of the three personal essays that students wrote over the last two weeks.  Students will hand in the essay that they have selected on Tuesday, February 24.

We outlined and began writing our final personal essay today.  Students are writing a persuasive essay supporting or opposing the use of personal electronic devices in classrooms.  We will continue writing tomorrow in class.  Students should have an opening paragraph ready for tomorrow's class.

We completed notes reviewing transitions and discussed methods of increasing the use of transition words and phrases in our writing. We completed exercises in class and edited essay #1 and #2 for transition opportunities.

Students completed their second personal essay today in class.  An introduction and three body paragraphs should be complete for Tuesday at minimum.  We will begin our third and final personal essay Tuesday with a persuasive topic.