12.17.08

Write 2 paragraphs comparing and contrasting two poems we worked with in class. What is the same? What is different?
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12.16.08

Write 1 paragraph to explain what you think the poem is about.







Check the sidebar archives for older homework.

If you were absent remember that you have to make up both your homework and your classwork!

12.15.08

Write 2-3 paragraphs comparing and contrasting the book and the movie.

Paragraph 1: what was the same?

Paragraph 2: what is different?

Paragraph 3: which one was better and why?
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12.08.08

Today is the first day of the new marking period!

Take advantage of the fresh start!


Check the sidebar archives for older homework.

If you were absent remember that you have to make up both your homework and your classwork!

12.2.08

FRIDAY the 5th is the last day of the marking period!!!!

Check the sidebar archives for older homework.

If you were absent remember that you have to make up both your homework and your classwork!

11.18.08

Complete the outline for your essay!

Family essay is due on Friday!
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11.14.08

Due Monday:

Complete all three interviews for your family essay.

Ask: What is the importance of family to you and why?
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11.12.08

Interview 1 of 3.

Interview one person at least ten years older than you and ask, "What is the importance of family to you and why?"

Be sure to write down exactly what they say because you will need direct quotations in your five paragraph essay!

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11.03.08

Complete the rough draft of your memoir by adding the backstory, charactorization, and setting that you have already drafted.

Combine all elements to complete your rough draft! This is due IN CLASS on Wenesday.

All late papers will receive a reduced grade. Ten points will be deducted for every day late.
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10.31.08

Happy Halloween!

No homework!

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10.28.08

No homework!
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10.28.08

Circle all of the verbs in your draft, characterization and setting. Choose 5 words to improve. Bring in a list of your five old verbs and five new, improved, stronger verbs.

*Remember verbs are action words!
* Stay clear of words like went, were, and was.








Check the sidebar archives for older homework.

If you were absent remember that you have to make up both your homework and your classwork!

10.27.08

List at least 20 adverbs and adjectives from your writing (draft, characterization, and setting description.) Edit your work to add stronger adjectives and adverbs or just add more of them!
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10.23.08

Write a 1 to 2 paragraph description of important characters in your memoir (including yourself at whichever age you were).
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10.22.08

Finish copying the draft of your memoir. Skip two lines between every line of writing.

AND

Write a 1 to 2 paragraph description of the setting. Be sure you write it in a way readers can visualize where your memoir takes place.
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10.21.08

Come to class prepared with the draft you will be working on for your memoir project.
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10.20.08

Write a one page memoir on any theme we have not written about in class.

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Donate to LoMA!

Most of the students at our school are eligible for free or reduced lunch from the city of New York. That means that most of our students are at or below the poverty line. Because of this, LoMA does not collect money for student activities fees.


I'm the teacher helping run our Student Council and the students are so eager to hold events and dances! You can imagine,however, making our limited funds stretch to cover fun events is quite difficult.

How can this be solved? YOU could help us make LoMA more fun. Statistics prove that the more time a student spends in school the better chance they have of achieving in the long run. Help a student achieve -- help a student have fun at school.

Click below to donate money to our student activities fund.

Thank you!

DROP EVERYTHING AND READ

SUMMER SCHOOL 2008

INSTRUCTIONS: This summer you are to complete reading three books on your own and do each of the three following assignments. Choose which assignment you will do for each book. At the end of the summer you must have completed ALL three assignments, one for each book.

Assignment 1

After reading the book, you will write one of two letters. You might choose to write a letter to the main character of the book. Or you might choose to write a letter to the author of the book. In either letter you should describe how you felt when you read the story, the events that stuck with you the most as you read, and how you feel like you can relate to the things that happened in the story. You should also explain how you were moved by the story told in the book, what you learned from reading the book, and the lessons you’ll hold on to in your own life. You can describe how reading this story changed or reinforced your understanding of something in your life. Either way, the letter should not be a summary of the story or a re-telling of what happened … but a reflection of how you think about the story you read. This is your chance to show your personal, human connection with a story of identity from the world beyond our country’s borders.

Your letter must:

· be at least two pages long (typed, double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins) with your name at the top as well as at the bottom (with your signature);

· be a clear expression of how you feel and what you think;

· use paragraphs and proper sentence structure to organize your thoughts and ideas.

Assignment 2

While reading the book, you will keep a journal of your reading experience. You must have a journal for a minimum of every 20 pages of your reading. So if your book is 200 pages long, you will hand in a minimum of 10 journal entries. It’s best to write your journal immediately after you finish reading so your ideas are still fresh. Your journal entries are to be handed in on loose leaf and hand-written entries are okay.

Each journal entry must:

· have one full paragraph about what happened in what you read

· have one full paragraph about what you think will happen next

· have one full paragraph about a way you relate this story to your own life. (What does it make you think about?)

· use paragraphs and proper sentence structure to organize your thoughts and ideas.

Assignment 3

After reading the book, you will make a portrait of the main character. Be creative and show me what your character looks like, what the setting of the novel looks like, what the main character struggles with in the novel, etc. Along with your illustration, you must have an artist statement. Your artist statement must be at least 4 paragraphs explaining why you chose to make your character look the way you did and why you included things in the back ground that you did. Your artist statement must have at least 3 direct quotations from the text. Use paragraphs and proper sentence structure to organize your thoughts and ideas. Your artist statement and portrait must be handed in together.

Your artist statement must:

· be written in at least 4 paragraphs

· use 3 direct quotations from the text

· explain all of the thoughts behind the portrait of the main character.

Your portrait must:

· prove knowledge of the book

· show reflective thought about the main character

· be creative and colorful.

Poetry in NYC

ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT
SUMMER SCHOOL 2008

Pretend you are writing a feature article for the Metro section in an imaginary New York City newspaper. Your editor has assigned you the topic: What's going on with poetry in New York City?

Mandatory Events:
(5 Total Events)

• August 5 Poetry on the Rooftop Reading Series:

(Poets: Oni Buchanan, Darcie Dennigan, Abraham Smith)
6:30 p.m. (Please arrive by 6:00)
FREE
The Arsenal Building at Central Park is located at 64th Street at 5th Avenue in New York City, next to the Zoo. Take the N, R, or W to 5th Avenue or the F to Lexington Avenue /63rd Street.

• 2 Events at Bowery Poetry Club
• Any two nights this summer
• 308 Bowery @ Bleecker (foot of 1st St., between Houston/Bleecker)
  Free | www.bowerypoetry.com | 212-614-0505
  Subway: F to Second Avenue, 6 to Bleecker

• 2 Events at Nurorican Poets Cafe
• Any 2 Events this summer- but ONE must be a SLAM
• 236 East 3rd Street Between Avenues B&C
• The closest train is the F train to 2nd Avenue
• 212-805- 8183 --- http://www.nuyorican.org/

ASSIGNMENT:
(YOU MUST SUBMIT BY AUGUST 12)

1. NOTES FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH A POET
2. NOTES FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH A SPECTATOR
3. 1 PAGE REVIEWS OF EACH OF THE 5 POETRY EVENTS YOU WITNESSED THIS SUMMER
4. PHOTOS OF YOURSELF IN FRONT OF THE THE ARMORY, THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB and THE NUYROCIAN POETRY CAFE

Make-Your-Own World Book Assignment

Global History 10th Grade Assignment

OVERVIEW:

You will be making your own encyclopedia for countries around the world. You will be creating two very complete "Country Papers". You will be focusing on your choice of two of the following countries: CHINA, BRAZIL, GERMANY and SOUTH AFRICA. All of these countries were highlighted in CHAPTER 35 of your text. In this chapter, you read about emerging democracies. As you gather information for each of your country papers relate all of your new-found information back to these concepts: 

1. What role do people play in their country's government?  

2. What role does a government play in people's lives?

3. How has democracy or lack of democracy shaped the nation in question?

REQUIREMENTS:

• You will read, highlight and answer the questions at the end of CHAPTER 35 in your text book
• You will write 2 papers. Select 2 from the following choices: CHINA, BRAZIL, GERMANY and SOUTH AFRICA

Both of your papers will include the following informational sections. (Think of each informational section as a tiny paper. Put each of your informational sections together to make a comprehensive country paper.):

• INTRODUCTION - Please see questions 1, 2 & 3 from above.
• LANDSCAPE - Geography, Climate, Wildlife
• HISTORY - Politics of Yesterday, Politics of Today, Important wars, Leaders
• INDUSTRY- Jobs, Exports, Imports, Trade
• PEOPLE - Religion, Language, Way of life
• ART - Architecture, Music, Fine arts, Theatre, Dance, Literature, Etc.
• CONCLUSION - Please see questions 1, 2 & 3 from above.

Attachments for both of your papers include: 

• TIME LINE - Make a line map of the important dates in this country's history
• MAP - What is the shape and location of this country? Make it colorful!
• WORKS CITED - Please see this website if you've never made one of these before.

All papers must follow these overall guidelines:

• No country papers shorter than 500 words total will be accepted.
• Country papers must be typed and may be submitted via email at MISSMCDEVITT (at) GMAIL (dot) COM. 
• Country papers will not be accepted without all of the required informational sections and attachments.
• All papers must contain a Works Cited page and sources used must be cited within the text. You MUST cite your source (website, book or article) for ANY information you use in your country paper. Country papers without citations will not be accepted. (HOW DO I DO THAT?? Click here.)

MATERIALS:

• Chapter 35 in your World History Book

CHINA

• CIA Fact Book - CHINA
  
• BBC Country Profile - CHINA
  
• NYTimes  - CHINA
  

BRAZIL

• CIA Fact Book - BRAZIL
• BBC Country Profile - BRAZIL
• NYTimes- BRAZIL

GERMANY

• CIA Fact Book - GERMANY
• BBC Country Profile - GERMANY
• NYTimes - GERMANY

SOUTH AFRICA

• CIA Fact Book - SOUTH AFRICA
• BBC Country Profile - SOUTH AFRICA
• NYTimes - SOUTH AFRICA

* Encyclopedias may also be used, but not Wikipedia.

Architecture: Greece, Rome, New York City

9th GRADE GLOBAL HISTORY ASSIGNMENT

Ancient Greece and Rome had incredible influences on architecture in New York City. Neoclassicism in the mid to late 1700's and the Greek Revival movement of the first half of the 1800's, were both inspired by the ancient Greek and Romans. Just like when a current musician samples an old school beat, architects use fundamentals from ancient designs. A lot of the buildings we see everyday in New York City were designed specifically to recall a different time in history. Learn all about these styles of architecture with the following assignment.

DIRECTIONS
First: READ ABOUT GREECE AND ROME - Concentrate on the architecture. (Use your text book, and websites provided below.) Take notes and become an expert. Make sure to pay particular attention to vocabulary words used to describe arches and pillars and other architectural structures, you'll need those for your essay!

Then: Follow the MAP below to all of the NEOCLASSIC and GREEK REVIVAL buildings right here in NYC. Take photos of yourself in front of EACH of the 10 buildings. You might want to bring a friend. This will probably take more than one day of adventuring.

Next: Observe similarities and differences between ancient Greek and Roman architecture and that of the neoclassic and Greek revival styles. Take notes. Complete a Venn Diagram.

Last: Write an essay where you compare and contrast the buildings of ancient Rome and Greece with the buildings in NYC you visited. Be sure to use examples from what you read as well as examples from what you observed. Your essay is to be at least 250 words, typed and double-spaced. When you hand in your essay you must hand in the following items:

• Photos of you at each of the 10 locations
• The VENN DIAGRAM you created
• A rough draft of your essay
• A final copy of your essay
  

* Be sure to spell-check and have edit, points will be deducted for incorrect grammar, punctuation or spelling.

RESOURCES:
ROME
http://www.2020site.org/rome/
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/roman_arch.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/rome.html
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/greecerome/Romearch1.html

GREECE AND ROME

http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/greecerome/index.html

GREECE

http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/greek.htm
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/greek_arch.html
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/org/orion/eng/hst/greek.html
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/greecerome/Greecearch1.html

MAP
MAP NEOCLASSIC/GREEK REVIVAL NYC