Scholars Speak
April: Introduce a Poet Your writing must be typed on the google doc shared with you from our Room 26 Homeroom Google Classroom. Your assignment this month is to research a poet. Learn about the poet’s life, his or her interests, and the people, places, etc. that influenced their work. Paragraph one: Introduce your poet. Tell us where he or she was born, any interesting things about their life, and any information about how they became interested in writing poetry. Did your poet have any influences? How did they become a poet? Paragraph two: Tell us about your poet’s poetry. What are they known for? Make sure to introduce us to the “language of the discipline.” (Use poetry vocabulary to talk about the work your poet produces.) Recite one of their famous poems and provide us with your interpretation of that poem. Finally, write a poem inspired by the work of your poet to share with the class. Your Art: Use colored pencils to illustrate one of your poet’s famous poems. Remember to call Google Voice for practice! (424) 262-0936 Due Date: the week of April 23rd Writing Genre: Informational Paragraphs: 2-3 maximum Resources: poetry books in class, internet, library books https://100.best-poems.net/100-best-kids-and-children-poems.html https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poems-kids March: Walk Through the American Revolution Scholars Speak Your writing must be typed on the google doc shared with you from our Room 26 Homeroom Google Classroom. You have each been assigned an important character in the American Revolution for your performance in Walk Through the American Revolution. For this Scholar Speak, you will write two paragraphs as you research your character and learn more about their background and history. In paragraph one, summarize in detail one of the major events from the American Revolution (What was it? Who was involved? Where did it take place?) and explain the event’s significance. In paragraph two, write about your character (background information about your character and important events that helped shape your character), their role in the American Revolution, and how your character was important in influencing change in America. Remember to call Google Voice for practice! (424) 262-0936 Due Date: the week of March 12th Writing Genre: Informational Paragraphs: 2-3 maximum Resources: Social Studies notes, Social Studies textbook, Internet February: Current Event Scholars Speak Week of February 12th Your writing must be typed on the google doc shared with you from our Room 26 Homeroom Google Classroom. This week you are to choose a kid-friendly current event from a printed source (newspaper, magazine article, online article). In one paragraph, summarize what the event was about (who, what, where, when, why, and how). In another paragraph, share with us why you chose this event and what you learned from reading about this current event. As you write, think about incorporating the different non-fiction writing strategies that we have learned while working on our passion projects/research reports. This is an INFORMATIONAL piece; it should sound scholarly, and be written as if you are the expert on this topic (just like your passion project). Remember to call Google Voice for practice! (424) 262-0936 Genre: Informational Paragraphs: 2 maximum Image: Your image will be a collage made from clippings from your article. Resources: Scholastic News, Beach Reporter, Science notes, Science textbook, Edmodo, Internet (if needed- Dogo News, Time for Kids, Tween Tribune, News ELA, and more). January: Problem/Solution Scholars Speak Week of January 15th Your writing must be typed on the google doc shared with you from our Room 26 Homeroom Google Classroom. You have been studying nonfiction text structures. One way to structure nonfiction text is by discussing a problem and offering a solution. For this Scholars Speak, you will research a current problem. For example, you could research the homeless epidemic, head injuries in football/soccer, rising ocean temperatures, etc. There are many current problems we face today. Pick a current problem and have it approved by Mrs. Felix (email for approval: [email protected]). In your first paragraph, describe the problem. Who is affected by the problem? How are they affected? Why is it important to make the public aware of this problem? In your research, find some statistics and/or quotes from specialists you can add to your description of the problem. In your second paragraph, offer a realistic solution to the problem. How would you solve this problem? What are three steps we need to take to begin solving this problem? Who would lead your plan? What materials would you need for your plan to take place? How could your plan be sustainable? Remember to call Google Voice for practice! (424) 262-0936 December: Explorers Scholars Speak Week of December 4th Your writing must be typed on the google doc shared with you from our Room 26 Homeroom Google Classroom. You have been learning about The Age of Exploration in Social Studies. In one paragraph explain: 1. What was the Age of Exploration? 2. Why were people such as explorers and royalty so interested in exploring new lands? 3. What were some of the obstacles and hardships that explorers faced? In another paragraph, introduce us to one of the many explorers we have studied. Be sure to give details about who that explorer was, his background info if known, what or where he explored, and in your opinion why he was influential to the Age of Exploration. Genre: Informational, Argumentative Length: 2 paragraphs Thinking Map: Bubble Map Resources: Class notes, textbook, and Internet (Explorers Site on Mrs. Hubbard’s website October/November: You have traveled back in time. Pretend that you are a child living in the: (one native culture was chosen for you - Desert Southwest Culture, Pacific Northwest Culture, Plains Culture, Eastern Woodlands Culture, Arctic Culture). You have decided to write a detailed journal entry describing a day in the life (sunrise to sunset) as that Native American child. Using your notes and textbook write about: natural resources your people use, homes, food, what your people are known for, member responsibilities, and how your people have adapted to the environment. Remember, this is a narrative. Put your reader inside the story, including details that ring true. What do you see, hear, feel, smell, touch, and think that a real Native American child would experience during the course of a day with his or her tribe? Writing Genre: narrative Thinking Map: flow map Length: 2-3 paragraphs Resources: Social Studies notes, Social Studies textbook, Native American storybooks, enrichment materials on Mrs. Hubbard's website September/October: We will begin our first Scholars Speak on the week of September 25th! Here's what you need to do: 1. Write a three-paragraph essay about your family (1st paragraph), your interests (2nd paragraph), and your future dreams (3rd paragraph). Use the traffic light model to organize each paragraph. Write your essay on the Scholars Speak Paper (a copy was provided to you in class - if you lose your copy, you can find an extra in the Room 26 Homeroom Google Classroom -or- on the Reading/Writing tab of our class website). 2. Draw a colorful/detailed picture to go along with your writing. 3. We will sign up for speaking dates (3 people per day). Schedule link is the the right. 4. Before you present, you will need to practice reading your essay orally. Practice at home in front of a mirror or family. In addition, call in to our google classroom phone number and read it aloud to me (don't worry if you get cut off - read until the voicemail ends). (424) 262-0936 5. On the day of your presentation you will place your drawing under the document camera for your classmates to see. You will read your essay aloud. See the Scholars Speak rubric for reminders on strong oral speaking skills. |