NaNoWriMo

Hello, class!

      I was hoping to present this to you in person, earlier in the week, but since we are on our third day off, and today is November 1, it is time to write a note instead! Every November, the National Novel Writing Contest Organization hosts a challenge for writers, young and old, to write a full-length novel in thirty days. That's 50,000 words in 30 days. With some rough math, that means an average of 1,667 words per day, without counting proofreading.

     If you want to give it a try (and remember, this is OPTIONAL, and just for fun), you can sign up as a student at https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ and use Classroom Code ZNCDNNKD. Read your terms and conditions, and if you are ready for a writing challenge unlike any you have faced before, join!

     Any questions you may have, or your parents may have, you can direct to me, or peruse their website and see if you can answer them on your own. 

     Remember, your classroom code is ZNCDNNKD. Write well!

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Wednesday

Hey All,

     If you earned a two or one on the first vocab quiz, or you did not take it Friday, you will take it Wednesday in class. You only get one retake, and the second grade stands. Study well for it.

     After that, you will continue working on your setting writing assignment — remember to include all five senses and your where, when, and what is there.

     Keep your focus!

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of Dec. 12 – Dec. 16

Good morning, everyone.

     Well, the snow has just begun to fall here, and the predictions are pretty nasty for the whole day, so we will reserve judgement on whether or not there will be a snow day today. If there is, stay safe and off the roads as best you can, and then enjoy yourself and admire the beautiful winter scene in comfort. We aren't in charge of the weather, so we might as well make the best of it!

     Regardless of the snow day, this week will be about reviewing vocabulary and developing setting and character. Last week, students took their first vocabulary and spelling quiz, to mixed results, and you will all get the chance to retake it if necessary early this week. However, there will also be a few new words to learn, and a new quiz this coming Friday. So, if you did poorly, this is your opportunity to fix that mistake and study earlier and more often for the next one. We will be making a habit of having vocab quizzes this trimester, so pay attention and learn your words.

     Monday (or Tuesday, depending on the weather and our district's call!) students will get their vocab quizzes back and will have the opportunity to review their work and a chance to retake the quiz the following day. There will be only one retake given per student; after that, your grade is set. The new batch of words will also be provided, so start studying that night to prepare for Friday's quiz. Students will also review how setting works, and will dig into descriptive language by writing about physical objects in detail.

     The middle of the week will be devoted to honing setting by improving the language of student descriptions. Everyone will share their writing with another person in the class, and there will be conferencing on how to improve, followed by revision. By the end of the week, each student will submit his or her descriptive writing to be considered and graded; all five senses must be applied in the work for full credit.

          Wednesday will be a reading or writing day in class; students will either work on their settings or read from their books. Thursday will be a strictly reading day, so students should make sure their settings are complete before then, or prepare to write furiously on Friday to finish.

     On Friday, students will take their vocab quiz, write a Week in Review, and make final edits to their settings as needed. Beyond that, it will be more time to read. After all, there will be less than a week remaining before vacation!

     After school this week, Yearbook Club meets Tuesday and Chess Club on Wednesday; to my knowledge, all eighth grade games are away.

     Stay safe, stay warm, and keep in touch with any questions! Report cards went out on Friday, so if there is any lingering confusion about grades, now is a good time to ask.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Our Upcoming Week

Good Evening,

     This is our first full week of school this year, five uninterrupted days at BEMS, and it looks like the weather will be a little cooler by the end of the week, too. Those of us upstairs are thankful for that; any break from the heat will be appreciated. Come December, we will appreciate our warmer spot, but right now it is just uncomfortable.

     On Monday, we in Clan Barclay will be watching the ESPN mini-documentary "The Man in the Red Bandana," a fourteen-minute segment honoring the memory of Welles Crowther, a man who sacrificed his life on September 11, 2001 rescuing others in the South Tower. We will discuss and write about the event as a part of history, a tragedy, and a moment that united the nation; this year's students are the first group where everyone was born after those events took place.

     Tuesday will be a reading day in class; all students should bring their reading books and read silently throughout the class period. Tuesday is also picture day here at Bonny Eagle Middle School! Dress your best, comb your hair, and smile for the camera; even if you do not plan to purchase photos from LifeTouch, you should still look good — these will be the student photos in the yearbook this year. Speaking of yearbook, our first club meeting will be Tuesday after school in my classroom; if you are interested, come join us!

     We begin discussing argument and persuasion on Wednesday; students will learn the basic terminology — claim, counterclaim, evidence, source, rebuttal. Students will memorize the terms and see which team can identify them all clearly first. The first Chess Club meeting is Wednesday after school in Room 98, down the hall. We also have a Cross-Country meet Wednesday afternoon at 4:00; come support your Scots!

     Throwback Thursday will be a discussion day; we will review argument definitions and read quotations on the purpose of democracy and government, and then students will have group discussions and small debates centered on those quotations. Remember, you are not allowed to use your laptop in Language Arts on Thursday, so come with a pencil or pen if you want to jot down notes. Thursday afternoon is the first Newspaper Club meeting; if you are interested in investigating your school, your community, and your world, or you like drawing cartoons, or you are just curious, stop in!

     On Friday, all students will write a "Week in Review" letter, reflecting on their first full week of school and connecting it, if they please, to their weekend or their plans for the future. This is an open opportunity to express themselves clearly and without any criticism of grammar and spelling, as it is only graded on completion. Once they have finished writing, they may free write or read quietly. We also have our first school-wide assembly Friday afternoon, so classes will be shorter than usual — roughly 40 minutes instead of the full hour.

     As usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, get in touch by email or phone, or even by commenting here. We are always interested in what you have to say.

Have a good week!

Mr. DeMaris

A Scene

Summer

by Nicole

    Summer sounds like bugs. Bugs buzzing while I see then fly through the air. Bees landing on dandelions. I hear kids playing outside. I feel the humidity in the air. It smells like BBQs cooking. Summer tastes like BBQ food and grass that my friend dares me to eat. I see the bright, yellow, sun shines up in the light blue sky.

The Five Senses

Here is an excellent scene written by Ricky; it has vivid language and clear, if brief, descriptions.

     On a warm sunny night in mid August of 2014, the sun was just half over the horizon. The air was crisp and smelt of fresh grass. Me, Myself, and I were in a canoe, simply fishing. I felt as if my butt was made of fire ants because of the wooden bench seat in that canoe. Suddenly, my fishing pole had a slight pull or jerk, if you would, and a beautiful splash of the crystal clear natural water. I start reeling it in and boy it felt like a whale. But then I hear an eagle's call… I look up and I see it coming from 75 yards out. I frantically reel in my whale/fish. It's so close, I can see it! I get it in the canoe and its literally a bass that is 7 inches long. I was so bummed out, I threw it back and paddled back to camp.

Creative Writing Club

Hello Everyone,

     Mr. Pease is hosting a creative writing club after school this year, starting on Wednesday, September 23. If you are interested in joining, email him at jpease@bonnyeagle.org or see him in Room 36. He would love to have some eighth graders join!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Week in Preview

Hello Everyone,

     This coming week, September 8–11, promises to be another hot one; dress accordingly, within school code. As usual, the eighth grade floor will be toastier than the rest of the school. Remember that the quieter and less active you are, the cooler the rooms stay and the longer the doors can stay open to circulate air!

     This week, we will work on objective summarization, identification of themes in narratives, and how to properly defend a point.

1. On Tuesday, students will read a passage from their individual reading books, summarize it objectively, and provide a possible theme of the story so far, including how that theme relates to the events in the story.
2. On Wednesday, students will discuss in teams and with the teacher what a theme is, and how evidence can be used to support it.
3. On Thursday, students will review their answers and improve them as needed, and help team members with their answers and definitions until the entire team can provide working definitions and examples of both summary and theme.
4. On Friday, students will complete a Week in Review letter and present their week's reading to their team and the teacher.

     Also on Friday, students will participate in a short memorial for the anniversary of September 11, 2001; all students will join together in the first floor hallway to sing the national anthem and honor the flag.

     Finally, Learning Lab begins this week; it runs every Tuesday–Thursday from 2:15 until 4:00 in the library. Students must sign up in the main office beforehand, and they must have work to complete; it is not social time. The activity bus can take all students home after. Many clubs and events begin this week as well; check with teachers and coaches for official times.

     Welcome back to school, and enjoy the heat!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

    

Summer Assignment—Honors English

Hello All,

     Now that summer has officially begun, it's time to remind you (in case you forgot) that anyone who signed up for Honors English 9 needs to complete the summer assignment for that class before arriving at the high school in the fall. Click this text to access a PDF of the assignment.

     Frankly, the assignment asks you to read a couple books in preparation for writing an essay about them. You should be just fine. I suggest you take some notes as you read the books, or maybe even read the book twice and take the notes the second time through. You will be asked to write a reflective essay about the book at the start of your freshman year.

     Enjoy your summer!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

A Story

Hello Everyone,

     Inspired by the twist ending to "The Cremation of Sam McGee," Marie wrote a little story of her own!

Once there were three bears—a little bear, a medium bear, and a big bear. One day they went out to shop. Then as they left, a little girl broke into their house and sat on their beds. The big bed was tooooo big. The medium bed was too big also. But the little bed was perfect.

So she stole the little bed.

The End


Thank you, Marie!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

The Board Today

Hello All,

     In case you need the help to finish today's assignment, here is a series of pictures of the board.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

The Week in Preview

Hello All,

     This week we will review classroom rules and policies, and then jump into a new weekly schedule as identified below.

     This week's standard is L.8.2:  "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing."

     This week's story selection is "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry.

Monday——Make a list!

Take the content prequiz, quickly review last week’s skills as needed, and introduce the Words of the Week. These are the words you must be able to spell, identify parts of speech for, and define by Thursday. Then, introduce the skills and story selection.

Tuesday——Time for work!

Cover skills and story selection for the week. Students who demonstrated proficiency in the skills on the content prequiz may sit in the back of the room today and begin reading the story selection as a group. The majority of students will take notes on the skills and practice their use individually and as a class.

Wednesday——Write!

This is writing day in Language Arts. Spend all class writing about the current material and story. The assignment may be an essay, a series of questions, a poem, a story, or any combination of the above, depending on the week. The Wednesday Write will always relate to both the skills and the story selection.

Thursday——Think it over!

In the first ten minutes of class, take the Thursday Think, a quiz on the Words of the Week; use it to spell, identify part of speech for, and define each word. After that, review the Wednesday Write in groups or, sometimes, as a class.

Friday——Finish!

First, complete the Friday Finish, a review or quiz on the week’s skills and the story selection. Then, write a letter to Mr. DeMaris about your week; this Week in Review letter is only graded on completion, not on grammar or spelling.* Once complete, you may Review and Improve any missing or inadequate work. If you have none, you may read or write quietly or help a classmate with his or her work.

Each week is graded as follows:

Ten         (10) points apply to the     …    …    Wednesday Write.

Fifteen     (15) points apply to the     …    …    Thursday Think.

Twenty     (20) points apply to the     …    …    Friday Finish.

Five         (5) points apply to the     …    …    Week in Review letter.

This is a total of fifty (50) points per week. Extra assignments may be added or adjusted as negotiated by individual students and the teacher.


Sincerely,



Mr. DeMaris
*——Mr. DeMaris always encourages proper spelling and grammar, though—— so try!

 

Commas, Ellipses, and Dashes

Hello Everyone!

     I tried a new idea today! Modern technology is great for absent students, interested people, and everyone out there on the internet.

     I uploaded a video containing the basic information of today's lesson; hopefully, you can use this to review if you are absent or need to check the information later. Here is the video explaining the basics of commas, ellipses, and dashes.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Prepositions and Conjunctions

Hello All,

     For your convenience, here is every single preposition out there:

about above according to across after against along along with among apart from around as as for at because of before behind below beneath beside between beyond but* by by means of

concerning despite down during except except for excepting for from in in addition to in back of in case of in front of in place of inside in spite of instead of into like near next of off on

onto on top of out out of outside over past regarding round since through throughout till to toward under underneath unlike until up upon up to with within without

     * "But" is usually used as a coordinating conjunction; it is only used as a preposition when used in the place of "except." For example, consider these sentences:

I ate everything but the Doritos.
Everyone is wrong but me.

In this case, you are speaking about all times but once, or all locations or items but one. I just used "but" as a preposition twice in that sentence, too.


     Now, concerning conjunctions, there are three categories:  coordinating, correlative, and subordinating. Here is the breakdown by category.

Coordinating Conjunctions:  For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
     You can use the acronym FANBOYS to remember all seven of them.

Correlative Conjunctions:  both, and; not only, but also; either, or; neither, nor; whether, or; as, as; such, that; scarcely, when; as many, as; no sooner, than; rather, than.
     Correlative conjunctions work in pairs to connect related ideas. There are many combinations.

Subordinating Conjunctions:

Common Subordinating Conjunctions

after although as because before even if even though how if in order that

no matter once provided that rather than since so that than that though unless

until what when whenever where whereas wherever whether while why

Subordinating conjunctions start dependent clauses, and they answer the questions when, why, and if, or they show opposition.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Writing Contest

Hello Students,

     Well, the snow day has messed with our schedule yet again, but this is a great time to remember that the Writing Contest comes to a close very soon. Some of you have submitted a piece or two for me to review; I am spending part of my weekend going over those again, so you can submit more or further edits if you want. If you are at all interested in submitting a piece to this year's writing contest, join the Eighth Grade Contest Google Classroom by going to classroom.google.com and entering this code:

ksc<zero>sof

For some reason, the zero was not differentiating clearly from a letter O, so simply enter a zero where the bracketed label is indicated above. Make sure you are logged in with your Bonny Eagle email address, or we won't be able to see your entry properly.

     Entries are due by Wednesday, February 4, 2015. This means you have all weekend to type, edit, and retype as you desire. I will check my email periodically to offer help and suggestions if needed, and of course you can ask questions during school next week. All the directions for submission are on the Google Classroom, but I can offer help if needed for that, too.

     Finally, remember that this is NOT REQUIRED. I encourage all students with a genuine interest in writing and submitting a piece to do so, but you will not lose any points or any respect for not entering the contest. However, I will gladly use your entry as a sample writing piece and add it to your Quarter Three gradebook as a great piece of writing if you like. It can only help your grade.

     Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

This Week in Preview

Dear Students,

     This week, I will be attending the two home games on Monday and Tuesday, and I will also attend a meeting on Monday afternoon. However, since this is the start of the quarter, you won't need to stay after for any work, so I will be going home right after school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On a personal note, on Wednesday I get to see a friend I haven't seen since New Year's last year; he is coming north again for a couple days, so we are going to dinner in Portland that afternoon. It should be fun!

     This is the first week of Quarter Three, which means you all start with perfect grades! I expect all of you to try your hardest to keep them just that perfect. I will help with that as best as I can.

     On Monday, we will go over classroom rules and layout, including how I will structure the grading for this quarter. This will cover MobyMax, classwork, graded assignments, quizzes, projects, and bonus points. After that, we will talk about the District Writing Competition, and how to submit your entries. Then, we will dive into parts of speech.

     On Tuesday, we will continue covering parts of speech, including the best ways to organize them and which ones are most appropriate in context. If something is allowed, that doesn't mean you should do it. Think of parts of speech like things you can say (they are things you can say, come to think of it); just because you can say something doesn't mean you should.

     On Wednesday, we will review parts of speech, and we will discuss sentence structure. We went over this previously in the year, but it didn't stick. So, we will try again! I will remind you all that you will take a quiz on Friday. Wednesday's homework will involve writing a page about a topic we discuss in class. This formative assessment will be graded on your grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling (L.8.1 and L.8.2).

     On Thursday, we will discuss ways to improve our own writing. We will identify the parts of speech in passages from our own work, and determine if we used them correctly. Then, we will read a short passage from a story and identify parts of speech in it as well. Thursday's homework will be to study for the quiz on Friday.

     On Friday, you will take a quiz on parts of speech; you must identify the definition and use of each part of speech, and then you must identify parts of speech within a sample paragraph. This is your summative assessment on parts of speech. Once you finish the quiz, you will begin reading a short story. Provided class goes well, you will have no homework over the weekend.

     Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week! Start Quarter Three out right!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

This Week in Preview

Dear Students,

     This week, I will be able to stay after school tentatively on Wednesday; I have meetings on Tuesday and I work in the Learning Lab on Thursday. I will let you know if any of this changes.

     Our work this week will involve discussing the district writing contest, free writing to develop our grammar and spelling skills, and building a greater understanding of Norse Mythology through a combination of reading and listening assignments.

     On Monday, you will discuss the details of the school writing contest; any student may submit a writing assignment that is up to two, single-spaced, size twelve Times New Roman pages. The writing assignments are due by January 30; I will explain the submission process later in the week. Then, you will read silently and write when you are done.

     On Tuesday, you will review the terms for the Norse Mythology quiz taking place on Wednesday. Then, you will free write a minimum of one single-spaced, twelve-point font page, or one handwritten page. This will be graded on the minimum length, grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

     On Wednesday, you will take the Norse Mythology basics quiz. This quiz is based on the terms written on the board on Friday. You will be allowed one hand-written page (one side) of notes for the quiz, as spelling is required for credit on each answer. After the quiz, you will work on MobyMax.

     On Thursday, you will learn more about Norse mythology, including the story "The Three Gifts, or How Loki Learned to Shut his Mouth." Read quietly and answer the questions that follow. You will be graded on your accuracy, spelling, and grammar.

     On Friday, you will have a Review and Improve day to catch up on missing or low-skill work. Next Friday is the last day of the quarter, so you should take full advantage of this time to fix assignments or hand in back work. If you are currently failing or in danger of failing this quarter, this time is critical to your success.

     Finally, some students will be retaking their NWEA tests this week during their Allied Arts and Tutorial times. If you did not reach the benchmark in Reading or Math in the fall, you will work on that this week. Stay focused, do well, and avoid distracting others.

     Let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Commas before Conjunctions!

Hello All,

     I have a new slogan for the coming week:  "Commas before Conjunctions!" When you are writing a compound, complex, or compound-complex sentence, you should always place the comma before the standard conjunction that separates your clauses. For example, consider the following sentence:

Students struggle every day with the pressures of adolescence, and homework only adds to the stress.

Teaches feel stress, too, and they must balance personal lives with professional responsibilities.

     Note how the conjunction "and" separates the two independent clauses. Note, too, how the comma goes before the conjunction. If you placed it after the conjunction, you would be adding the "and" to the first clause; it makes no sense to end a sentence (or clause of any kind) with "and."

The ability to read is useful because our society is based on long-distance communication.

The ability to read is useful, because our society is based on long-distance communication.

     Just remember that you do not need a comma before a subordinate conjunction like "because," "since," or "while."

     As you start a new week, remember:  "Commas before Conjunctions!"

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Writing

Hello Everyone,

     Some days, I feel like this is how students treat the writing process.

That's awesome, so long as that "write" writing happens after all this.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

P.S. - That was a pun!  Punny, right?