Revolutionary War

Optional:

Begin investigating these sites below. You will use them next week to create your Magazine front page and article for the your writing activity.
http://bighugelabs.com/magazine.php
You will use this site to create the cover page for your magazine
http://letterpop.com/
use this site to create your article

Patrick Henry

Ddon't forget to use this site with to help with your Patrick Henry vocabulary
http://words.bighugelabs.com/

Inside - Outside Help!

H/W
Grammar Package (Due: Fri)
Spelling Test will be next Tuesday

Inside/Ouside poem about yourself. (Due: Fri) - further advice below

Don't make your poem more complicated than it needs to be...Think about the assignment for a second... all i'm asking you to do is write a poem about yourself. Now...going a bit further...i'm suggesting ways you can go about doing this by using categories...for example.. write about your personality, your dreams, your fears, your weaknesses etc etc... by thinking about categories gives you a way to organize your thoughts... so the next step is ... how do you do that...???


well why not begin by just writing about yourself in a literal way...
What do other think of you?
They think... all i enjoy writng and i a super students...
your poetry might soon like...  outside
A test taking machine some may suggest
Fear of failure is why I strive my best
inside
I think... ..i like doing art....
 how can i do that in a poetic and/or figurative way..?
Drawing and mixing paints brightens my days
Being artistic and creative in countless ways

You need to do just 12 lines like this... and maybe find a special way to end...
no...the title doesn't count....(but give a realistic title)

Also..VERY IMPORTANT...there is a rhyming dictionary on the left side of the blog...use it to find words and phrases that rhyme if you want...

Remember my old phrase... NIKE!!!!

Carpe Diem - Make your lives extraordinary

Free free to comment  about today's lesson introducing poetry.  Feel free to add any of your drafts of your personal poems for others to comment.

Below is a chance to see the video clip from today's session again.

Invictus - Reflection

Listen below to  an interview with the captain of the South African rugby team (Matt Damon's character) as he speaks about Nelson Mandela.



How will you use the last lines of  Invictus in your life going forward?

I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of  my soul

Watch the real live ending of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final below.



H/W
Character Sketch due in tomorrow - Make sure you are making 'clear'  judgments throughout.

Bring in your comfort zone rectangles (if you still have it) for discussion in tomorrow's class (Fri). How have you stepped out of your comfort zone recently?

Personal Narratives

Feel free to share some of your best sentence (s) that you create in your narratives on the blog.  State what type of sentence your are sharing e.g. sensory, figurative, action,  emotion, use of proper nouns, quotes etc... Other students are encouraged to give  polite, respectful constructive feedback where possible.

Narrative Writing - Time Shift (Past Perfect)Sentences

Use these exercises to practice creating 'time shift' sentences in narrative writing.
Who said 'time travel' was impossible?

http://www.english-zone.com/verbs/pstperf1.html
http://odl.vwv.at/english/odlres/res8/Grammar/grammar_exercises/tenses/past_perfect/pastperf3.htm
http://odl.vwv.at/english/odlres/res8/Grammar/grammar_exercises/tenses/past_perfect/pastperf1.htm
http://www.learnenglish.de/Games/Tenses/PastPerfectTest.htm
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/grammar/tense/3.1.xml
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/140.html

This is a 'challenge' exercise that only a few of you will understand. +2 if you can do these questions!!!
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs11.htm

Enjoy these videos to see the 'time shift' sentences, more commonly known as past perfect sentences, used in real context.

Descriptive Sentences - Brag Sheet

Enjoy these impressive descriptive writing pieces rom your classmates. Notice how there is limited action taking place in the writing. It is as if 'time froze' and just a 'moment in time'  is being  described.

Fishing with Dad
Miles W.

As I listened to the hypnotic sound of the beach volleyball being bounced back and forth on the sandy court, all was peaceful. The half-bare trees had their own special way of beauty by shaking slowly (as if in a dream) their artistically designed red/yellow leaves. Faint footsteps in the distance awoke my senses, and I started to think in a clearer state of mind. Being able to think more clearly, I realized that there was an assortment of knobby twigs that must have fallen from the tree branch hovering above me. Red/yellow leaves in the grass and cold, crispy air also surrounded me. Suddenly something on my lap moved! A fishing rod! I then remembered that I was fishing with my dad, and he had gone to the car to get more bait.

Descriptive Paragraph: A Moment In Time

By: Kate Mace
The shiny galas and crisp mackintosh were just begging me to pluck them off

the branches. Somewhere else out in the orchard, a small child shouted out in frustration. Clover and trees in the area created an earthy, inciting aroma that made me want to stand there under that tree and breathe it in all day. Suddenly, a loud rumble that came from under my shoulders interrupted my peaceful daydream in paradise. I could understand the grumbling from my stomach. It was saying, “Feed me Kate, I’m famished. I could hear the apple treats being set out on the table for just my family and I to enjoy. As I sat down on the table, the mouth watering smells wafted up into my nostrils from the outdoor kitchen. The apple pie and apple cider were for dessert of course, but I thought we should eat them now. For they would be cold if we waited any longer, and nobody wants cold apple pie or warm cider. Apple juice is what we would drink instead of cider. Apple tarts and apple donuts were just now being set out on the table. I put away a second or two to soak it all in and take a mental note of it. Sprinkled with powder sugar, the petite donuts seemed extremely delicious. They were arranged on a platter decoratively, and they made you want to grab the giant platter and start wolfing them down. As for the apple tarts, lets just say that they tasted better when they were in your mouth, not on yourshirt. When I could get them in my mouth, they were the best donuts I had ever tasted. Even though we had to go home right after lunch, I had a great time at the orchard on the mountain.

A Perfect Day of Winter
by Maddie

Branches and leaves of all colors crinkle as I step on the ground in the wooded area. Pine needles on the evergreens brushed against my coat and boots. Although the snow and air was cold, it had a welcoming feeling. The frosted leaves and weak branches fell as the wind howled throughout the trees. My fingers and toes were numb, and my breath made white clouds in the air. Small and large, icicles hung upon the dormant trees sparkling like crystals because of the afternoon sun above. Snowflakes fell from the sky dancing in the wind, each twirling like how dancers skip across the floor. There were no flowers anymore, and all the plants were drooping as if they knew there had been a winter’s frost. The trees shook as the wind attacked them, and the branches rattled as if they were mad. Animal prints decorated the snow in patterns in the same way a stamp would decorate a piece of paper. Winter is beautiful, but I always miss the animals that are hibernating for the season. Snow falling from branches way high in the trees fell and made me think my friends and I were in a snow fight. Sitting in a branch high in my favorite tree made me feel so small to the big woods around me. The wind up my spine made me shiver all over and reminded me what it would be like to be on the streets without a coat. Snow drifts were all over like little hills of snow to make snow forts out of them. The beautiful white snow reminded me of how perfect the world really was. All my worries drifted out of my head as I thought of how good I had it. The nature of the woods reminded me that life was more than the newest ipod or the biggest house. The woods was a place were life thrived, and it felt as if you were on top of the world. Dad’s voice echoed through the trees “ Time for hot chocolate!” for that was our favorite drink after a day in the snow. Tripping over stumps and roots, I darted toward the cozy house.

Ch.8 Essay Question -Model Answers

Read below some powerful omniscient narratives created by your classmates in today's test.

The Townshnd Acts and the Daughters of Liberty
By: Emily Padgett

When the news came in that morning, everybody was upset. Elizabeth Burns gathered her fellow females together, making a group called the Daughters of Liberty. “The Townshend Acts will not be ignored by us ladies. We will quit the useless vanities of life…” was part of her speech to the Daughters. Lillian Mode felt triumphant- this was what, she knew, she was meant to do. Lillian focused on Elizabeth’s words. Millie Johnston was determined to prove herself to Britain and everyone else- she would do anything to be free! Meanwhile, Elizabeth was explaining her plan- to make their own tea and sew their own clothes. Man ladies grew excited about this, but some, like Mary Elizabeth Watson, were wary about this. She spoke up, saying, “This would mean separating from our home country, abandoning the King!” Millie turned around. “Yes. If you want to live a life of slavery, then go back to Britain! You are not welcome here!” Lillian decided this was untrue. This would be hard if no one got along. “All right, then!” Elizabeth quieted the hall. “Let us no longer stand in the dark but put an end to this tax!” thus, the Daughters of Liberty began to boycott British goods and stop the Townshend acts.

The Stamp Act
By James Layton

Stamp, after stamp, after stamp! When will this ever end, the baker wonders. The baker believes, in 1765, that having to acquire the “Royal Stamp” for printed materials like playing cards, letters, cards, books, documents, and much, much more seems unreal, especially when the stamp is taxed! Angry as can be, Peter stalks and roams the gloomy streets with signs and words of protest. Besides, Peter thinks, this is the first tax the colonists obtained, so it shouldn’t be this terrible. Henry, a nearby tax collector, fears the night because mean, angry colonists might rob him, worse kill him. Every dreadful night and frightening day he glances with fear at the life-sized puppets the colonists hung that looked like tax collectors. The collector feels that the tax appears useful for the money Great Britain needed, but he still feels scared. Alternatively, Patrick Henry, the first to speak against the tax, tingles and fills up with bravery and pride. Patrick feels as though he is his own type of person. Roaming the streets, Peter says to himself that this tax needs to be repealed, as his eyes gleam with furiousness. Still collecting tax, the tax collector and all the others quit the job, and the tax was repealed. Never, shall it come back.

By Wilson Salisbury
“Rally Mohawks pick up your axes tell King George we will pay no taxes,” chanted the colonist as crates of tea leapt of the boat, into the Boston Harbor. Above the tea ship, a moonless sky gazed down at the settlers. Colonist, dressed as Mohawk Indians, had a look of pure happiness that shone through there face paint. One man hid a package of tea in his pouch thinking,” It shouldn’t all go to waste.” The colonist were doing this because the settlers thought it was unfair to tax Britain tea and make colonist buy from only the East India Tea company, a British tea manufacture. As the clock chimed twelve the last of the crates splashed into the water. Changing back into their regular clothes, they snuck back to their houses as quite as a mouse. When news of the Boston Tea Party reached King George anger rippled through the parliament. King George, mad as a bull, passed the Intolerable Acts. On that important year history was made.

"Give me Liberty..."

Watch this video to listen to an example of the Patrick Henry Speech

http://www.truveo.com/Patrick-Henry-Liberty-or-Death/id/157777562

(there is a 10 sec. comercial before the video plays)