Parts of Speech Practice

Here is another great website for practicing grammar skills. Try this for practicing prepositions and all the other parts of speech we are working on. Post some comments about what you did on this site.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions

Food Timeline

Check out this interesting timeline! The left column is food inventions and developments. The right-hand side is links to recipes for many of these items. This is a fascinating, well-researched site. Leave some comments about what you discovered on this site.

http://www.foodtimeline.org/

My Compliments to the Chef!

There are many cooking shows on television these days. Some promote healthful, quick meals, and some show us how to make foods that are not good for us at all, just for fun. How do we decide what's good for us and what's not?

Your task is to watch a cooking show of your choice, either on TV or online. Take notes while you watch the show. You will write a review of the program including the following points: What do I enjoy/not enjoy about this program? What do I think about the chef, and why? Would I try this recipe? Why or why not? Is the food healthful, or not, and why or why not? Also comment on what the food is, what ingredients were used, and the chef's techniques. You must also include the title of the network, the title of the program, the name of the chef, and the date and time you watched it.

You should comment on each other's posts as well.

Date due: Nov. 3
Pace yourself! We have many projects going on at the same time. Be sure to work on all of them a little bit each day until they are completed!

Don't forget--Your reading logs are also due Nov. 3, your Social Studies Guide is due Nov. 3, and your My Plate project is due Nov. 7.

Grammar-Monster.com Activities

On Friday your homework was to do the practice activities for verbs. Leave a comment about what activities you did, and how this went. What kind of verbs were easy for you? What kind of verbs need more practice? Did the practice activities help, or not? If so, how was it helpful? If not, why not? Share your thoughts!

Again, the site is grammar-monster.com

Helping Verbs

Don't forget to practice the helping verbs!

am are is 
was were be been
have has had
do does did
may might 
can could
will would
shall should
must

Reading Logs: Check this reading list

Seventh Graders, you will begin keeping track of your reading. Please use the reading list link to help you select books. More details will be given in class.

Reading List for Seventh Grade Language Arts Reading Logs

http://www.lisle202.org/pages/uploaded_files/7th%20Booklist.pdf

"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and Mob Mentality

In class we are reading the teleplay "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" as a Reader's Theater play. The script is based on a 1960 episode of the television show, "The Twilight Zone." Things are not always as they seem!

Reflect on our discussion about "mob mentality." Why do people behave differently in groups than when they are alone? How does the teleplay illustrate the concept of "mob mentality?"

Answer both questions in the form of a short essay. You should include three paragraphs. Be sure to quote examples from the story, citing page numbers. You may also cite other sources as well.

Sorry everyone, I was not able to find a link for the full episode. Listen to the audio version below:

You may watch the episode using the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbJ01zZCsK4

The link below is Rod Serling's final narration of the episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT4N6QqGsSI

Keep Up the Good Work!

Class, you all did a wonderful job commenting on the first post. Later this week you will have a new topic to write about. As a reminder: Be sure to always include the page number from the book or cite another source to back up your claims. Also, double check your writing mechanics, usage, spelling, etc. before you click publish.

Lastly, please avoid "chatting" here. This is not the place for "lol" and "I know, right." We will use academic language and serious commentary only to practice using our best writing. Please use other social media forums for "chatting." However, feel free to continue adding your thoughts and ideas on the last topic. For example, you could do some research to find out when the story was written, if it is based on a true story, more information about the author, etc.

Until next time, have fun blogging, Seventh Grade Eagles!

Three Skeleton Key Audio by Vincent Price

Below  is the link to the audio play of "Three Skeleton Key" by Vincent Price that we listened to in class. Since we only listened to part of it, you may want to hear the rest.

Assignment: Listen to the audio or reread the story in your textbook. Write a short review of this story, including your opinion, and publish it as  a comment to this post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rVgOKyRW88

Hey Seventh Graders! This is your very own Language Arts Blog!

Now that we have completed two weeks of school, most of the "housekeeping" has been taken care of. It's time to get busy! On this blog, you will be posting your comments, thoughts, ideas, and responses to share. Be brave, bold, and honest, but never mean, thoughtless, or irrelevant, of course. All postings must be related to the topic. Critiques, comments, and feedback should be constructive and helpful. Let's get started!