Monday, September 28, 2009

For all of you procrastinators!! Here are the directions for the project.

Write Your Own Declaration of Independence

Now that you have read and analyzed the Declaration of Independence, it is your turn to write your own.
Remember, the Declaration has a Five Part Structure:
1) A Preamble which answers the question: Why are we writing this document?
2) A Philosophical Foundation which answers the question: What gives us the right to declare our independence?
3) A List of Grievances which answers the question: How have our basic rights been violated? (at least 5)
4) An Explanation of Previous Actions which answers the question: What have we already done to solve our problems up to this point?
5) A Resolution which answers the question: What do we now intend to do?
Your Job
Choose an area or issue in your own life from which you would like to declare independence. Write your own Personal Declaration of Independencein which you follow the same Five-Part Structure.

How long does it have to be?It needs to use all five parts and develop each as thoroughly and as creatively as you can.
It needs to be typed with all of the usual conventions (12 pt font, 1 inch margins, double spaced).

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Directions for the mini-essay

"Analyzing Relationships"

1. Develop a claim (thesis) about Huck and Jim's relationship.
2. Use the guiding questions on page 15 in your study packet to help you.
3. Find evidence to support your claim from the novel.
4. Write a mini-essay to prove your point (about 3 paragraphs)

Reading!!

Please encourage your student to read!! Students, please read! Not just stuff for this class. Anything! Magazines, newspapers, the sports page, novels about vampires, comic books, etc. Reading is excercise for your mind! The more you read the better you become at reading and comprehending. The more you read the better your become at writing.

If you are looking for some good things to read, check out the Book Order forms I gave out in class. You can also go online and shop!

Dear Parent,
I have exciting news. You can now place your Scholastic Book Clubs orders online!
Browse all the great monthly Book Club selections at low prices and order online. Plus, our class earns a FREE Book every time a parent orders online.
Here's how it works:
Use the information below to access the Scholastic Book Clubs Web site.
Browse the titles with your child and place your order with your credit card.
Your order will come to me, and your credit card payment will go directly to Scholastic's secure server. There's no need to send money to school.
After I submit the entire class order to Scholastic, your order will be delivered to our classroom for your child to take home.
To get started, go to the Web address below and enter our class’s personalized user name and password in the sign-in fields on the right side of the page. Note: You do not need to create your own user name and password.
www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
User Name: SellersAmericanStudies
Password: Room202

Ordering online is the most convenient way to use Scholastic Book Clubs. You can order anytime, right up until the online order due date. You'll also get instant access to over 500 additional titles plus online-only specials and discounts.
And don't forget: Every time a parent places an order online, we earn a FREE book for our classroom library!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Sellers

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Monday, September 21, 2009