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

Week of Dec. 5 – Dec. 9

Welcome to Trimester Two!

     It has been a busy first trimester, but it is done at last! Grades are being calculated and posted by teachers at this very moment, and report cards will go home by the end of the week. Trimester One report cards will include, for Language Arts, persuasive writing, grammar, presentation, and timeliness scores. Before you know it, we will be on vacation again, and then it will be a new year. But that is getting a bit ahead of things, so let's focus on the present.

     This week in Barclay Language Arts, students will take the SRI (Standard Reading Inventory) to check on how their reading comprehension has improved since the start of the year. In the coming trimester, we will be focusing on that exact subject, so this will be a handy score to compare to the end of the trimester. Students will have all class on Monday to complete this, and may finish it on their own time at home. This must be completed by Wednesday so we can compare progress by Friday's in-class student-teacher conference about it.

     On Monday, before taking the SRI, students will get five vocabulary words for the week, which they will be expected to spell and match with a definition and part of speech on Friday.

     On Tuesday, students will dive into scene descriptions, examining one moment from their novels and identifying all the descriptive words from them. Proper reading comprehension means depth of understanding, so recognizing how authors describe a setting is key to success. Students will work on this in groups or individually, and will turn in their work by the end of class.

     On Wednesday, which is a two-hour delay start for students, they will engage in a similar activity regarding a character from their novel; this time, the descriptions may come from anywhere in the text, not just one scene. This is a more student-driven assignment, and so will be done in pairs or individually. Students must be prepared to present their characterizations to the class verbally (without a computer) on Thursday.

     On Thursday, students present their characterization to the class and attend to the characterizations by their peers. Any remaining time will be used to review the concepts of characterization and setting.

     On Friday, students will take a quick vocabulary quiz, write a Week in Review, focusing on how much they understand about setting and characterization, and will be brought up to talk about their reading comprehension one at a time as they write. Any remaining time in the period will be spent reading.

     After school this week, our boys play at home against Lincoln at 4:45 on Monday, and the girls play at home against Windham at the same time on Thursday. The Newspaper Club meets Tuesday afternoon immediately following school, and Chess Club meets on Wednesday.

     Get in touch with any questions or concerns, and welcome to Trimester Two!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of Nov. 14 – Nov. 18

Good afternoon!

     This week is off to a great start; students were focused and attentive for the most part, and the weather was beautiful outside. This is also a pretty straightforward week, with only one aberration in the middle.

     Academically, all four classes are starting formal work with narratives; Gold, Green, and White classes began today with Elements of Literature definitions, while Blue class brainstormed what they knew about World War I, sharing it with the class. Every class will transition soon into story-based analysis over chosen books, with Blue class focusing on World War I literature that ties into Social Studies class.

     The rest of this week will be dedicated to choosing which book students will read in class; there are four options available, and students will be spending class time reading them, discussing them, and responding to them to develop their literary analysis skills. With rare exceptions, books will be kept in the classroom.

     Wednesday is a late arrival day, but other than that the weekly schedule seems normal. Next week, remember, is Thanksgiving, so we only have two days of school.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of Nov. 7 – Nov. 11

Good morning,

     This week continues our work on story analysis with a comparison of original texts to movie versions of the same narrative. Over Monday and Tuesday, students watch a movie adaptation of "The Tell-Tale Heart" as a class, and compare it to the written text on their own, explaining what was changed and kept and why they think the director made those decisions. After that, on Wednesday, students move on to their own personal texts for a day. On Thursday, all classes visit the book fair one last time this season before spending the remainder of the class time reading.

     The second round of parent-teacher conferences take place Tuesday evening from 3:30 – 6:30; we meet in Mrs. Davis' room, while my room is used as a waiting area for those who arrive early or stay after. Yearbook and Newspaper Clubs (like so many clubs this day) are cancelled due to the early start of conferences. Wednesday afternoon Chess Club is still on; Mr. Edwards will not be joining us this week, or for many weeks to come, though.

     Friday is Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, and is a day to honor and remember all who have served this country in her armed forces. It is also a day off school as a result of it being a federal holiday. Take some time on your day off to thank a veteran for his or her service; it is their efforts that provide our safety and our freedom.

     If you have any questions or concerns, as always feel free to contact us!

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Mythology

Hello Everyone!

     Right now, our classes are working on Norse Mythology — the stories of Odin, Thor, Freyja, Loki, Authumla, and the rest give insight into old Germanic lives, and they are fun to tell and listen to. While they are traditionally told aloud, attached you may find some PDFs of the basics of each story.

     In class, I am telling the stories and acting out the best parts in proper, traditional form. Each one has some connection to the old-fashioned "just-so" stories — a myth, after all, explains why something is the way it is. So, the Norse Germanic creation story, the history of swans, the shape of the sky, and even how Thor got his mighty hammer are all myths.

     Click here to learn about the creation of the world.

     Click here to learn about the Gods and their lives.

     Click here to learn about how Thor got his hammer, and Loki learned to shut his mouth.

     Students will produce their own myths before February vacation; in the spirit of traditional mythmaking, their final project will be a verbal presentation of the myth, preferably recorded as well, so they can experience and demonstrate storytelling as well as listening skills. One class has already begun, and is doing a splendid job of it.

     Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

A Story to Read

Please note the use of ellipses and dashes!

by Amanda O.

    What was I supposed to do? It was all so confusing. I looked into Scotts glowing yellow eyes, and that was proof enough. After trying to get my life together as it is, now I have to balance the supernatural world on top of that. We were standing in the Beacon Hills Veterinary Office, where we both work. Our boss, Dr. Deaton, had just left the room and Scott told me news that he looked like he couldn’t hold in any longer.

    “Scott… why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked him as his eyes returned to their normal dark brown color that matched his hair, the color I knew as my best friends eyes.

    “Stiles was the only other person who knew. When I went back into the woods to retrieve the inhaler that I had lost… I, I don’t really remember much. I just remember being chased by that wolf-like creature…” He replied with his head down. I never would have imagined anything like this happening to my best friend, and I was slightly hurt that he told our other friend Stiles about it before he told me, but thats beside the big point here. My best friend is a werewolf.

    It all just seemed so distant. Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been intrigued by this whole new world of supernatural creatures, I always enjoyed reading the myths and legends. And even still at age 16, I still got little excited at the mention of wolves. I just can’t picture my best friend out there fighting mythical creatures defending himself… although it is kinda cool…

    I hate to admit it, but I might be a little jealous of Scott. In all the 10 years that him, Stiles and I have known each other never once have we ever gotten into big fights or been jealous of one another. It has to happen at some point I mean we all expected it to happen, just not now. Right now is a really, really bad time to have our first fight… but he always gets everything. Good grades, popularity, and now the gift of supernatural. It’s not fair.

    “Scott how come everything happens to you? I mean, if anyone, I should be the werewolf here, don’t you think? It’s always been my thing! Its just like everything else!” I said beginning to raise my voice. “For example, I study for hours, you do nothing, yet you get the better grade. I study wolves all my life and you walk into the woods one time and come out a werewolf!” I said, crossing my arms.

    “Do you really think I tried to get bitten by a wolf?!  Of course not! This is all new and quite concerning if you ask me, and you’re the only person here who can help but you’re too busy pouting. For all I know I was bitten by a rabid canine, and I could die. The friend I trusted the most—“ He was interrupted by the sound of the heavy metal door swinging open. Dr. Deaton stumbled in and set a whimpering dog on the examining table. I examined the dog, coming to the conclusion that it had either broken a leg or hip, while Scott went looking around the room for something to soothe the dogs pain.

    “Wheres all the—“ Scott began.

    “Nevermind Scott you come examine the dog tell me what you think I’ll find the pain relievers, I think I saw them over here…” I said frantically searching around the room.     The dog was whimpering loudly and constantly, it was pretty ear piercing.

    “I think he's going to need surgery, I’m going to go get the numbing shots ready just in case.” Dr. Deaton told us making his way into the surgery room.

    I continued looking for our pain relieving medication when all of a sudden the whimpering stopped. I slowly turned around to see Scott standing next to the hurt dog with on hand on its leg and making direct eye contact with glowing yellow eyes.

    “What the—“ Dr. Deaton dropped the syringes he held in his hands, shattering them on the floor.

    “Doctor, it’s hard to explain—“ Scott began.

    “Scott, you just look the dogs pain away with your hands and judging by your golden eyes I can obviously make the assumption that you were bitten by an alpha werewolf, am I right?” Scott and I exchanged a look of disbelief as we heard what the doctor had to say. How did he know what Scott was?

    “Yes. How’d you know?” We asked at the same time.

    “Scott, I specialize in the supernatural of Beacon Hills. Do you know who bit you?”

    “No. I was in the woods looking for my inhaler which I’d lost the day before when I was going for a run. It was dark… the last thing I remember were two bright red eyes.”

    “Well Scott, I think you’ve found yourself in a pack, my friend. I think I know where we can find someone who can help you. I should take care of our patient here, but you can find him at the old abandoned house on the top of the hill. His name is Derek Hale, and he is your new leader, the Alpha of the pack.”

    Scott just nodded his head and sent me a questioning, ‘are you coming?’ sort of look and I nodded back. He thanked Dr. Deaton and we made our way outside where Scott called Stiles to come pick us up and drive us to the destination of where we would find Derek Hale. As I sat in the back of Stiles’ blue Jeep, I realized that this is our first mission together with a werewolf, my best friend, Scott McCall, the werewolf, and certainly not our last.

Another Great Story

This story is a little more dark and thoughtful than the last; enjoy!

by Brenna F.

     What was I supposed to do? It was all so confusing. There was a post-it note on my door. It read “All your answers shall be answered if you follow the birch trees.” It made no sense until I remembered that there are a trail of birch trees about a mile into the woods in my backyard. It was dark out and I was alone. I put on my black hoodie and brought my flashlight. I walked into the woods. I felt like I was in a movie--a horror movie. Every sound scared me half to death. I tried to turn on my flashlight, but it wasn’t working. How helpful.

     It was only a mile but it felt like ten. It started to get cold and I could even see my breath when I coughed. I shook my inhaler to take a puff, I accidently dropped it and I had no idea where it was because of the dark. I tried to feel the ground and hopefully feel the metal texture of my inhaler. I went off the trail and went in the opposite direction of the birch trees. I walked around to see if the wind blew it away.

     Eventually, I gave up. I realized that I was very far away from the birch trees, which meant I was farther away from my house. I just walked until I felt myself falling. I fell into what was probably a hole. I hit the ground hard and the side of my head was bleeding. I took out my flashlight and it actually worked now. I was shocked at what I saw. All around me were flyers. A missing person flyer. It was a flyer My family and I were very familiar with. It was my sister. She went missing two months ago and has been gone ever since. I saw a figure jump into the hole. I tried to climb up to the hole. I could if the unknown person wasn’t holding onto my leg. All of a sudden the person let go of my leg and I climbed up the hole frantically. I used my now-working flashlight to guide me back home. I heard a scream and instantly knew who it was.


     I ran over and my flashlight revealed my sister tied up to one of the birch trees. I untied her and we ran back home. She told me everything that happened to her and I was just glad that she was okay and now safe. My family were equally as relieved. The next morning, I came across another sticky note. I took it off nervously and forced my eyes to read it. It read “The black hoodie is next.”

A Story

The Life of a Pet Cat who likes to Hunt

by Chloe F.

     I’ve got my target within my sights. That stupid mouse doesn’t even know I’m here. My paws are slowly creeping across the leaves of the forest, barely making a whisper of noise. My black fur helps me blend in with the night. I leap through the air, the wind hissing by my ears. I land on my plump prey’s thin tail, but before I can snap its neck it snakes its tail through my claws and takes off to hide under a bush, or in its burrow. I bound off after it, scaring off any other nearby prey. I can hear them running, even with the wind roaring in my ears. This is my only chance, otherwise I’ll have to come back later. It runs behind a tree with peeling gray bark, probably hoping that I would run straight past it. I turn the corner, but the slippery little thing is nowhere in my sights. I sniff the air for its lingering scent. It is then that I realize that there is a burrow at the base of the tree next to me. The mouse had slipped inside before I could get there. I decide to climb the tree–-to wait until it decides to brave the night again.

      It must have been at midnight when the little rodent pokes his nose outside of its hole. The hunter inside me tells me to jump and snag its little nose with a claw, but I know better. If I jump, it will hear the wind rushing past me as I fall, besides, I do not have a satisfactory angle; I will have to wait until it is completely out of the burrow. The thing inches out of its burrow for far too long–-it must have been another fifteen minutes–-before I jump. One claw pins down the animal, and I stumble with the force of my impact. The mouse almost escapes, but my claw had snagged its foot, hindering its escape. I snap its neck, ending its misery, and pick it up in my jaws and walk back home to nose my way through the plastic flaps of the doggy door. A successful hunt. I drop my prize in the shoe of one of the humans that live here with me–-where I know it will be found. I hiss with triumph, and know she will be proud.

      The next morning she finds my gift, but I’m not sure what’s wrong with her. She picks me up and shoves the mouse in my face. Then she drops me outside on the porch, and discards my prey in the yard! I see a look of irritation on her face, and yowl in protest. What did I do wrong? Should I have tried to leave the foot intact? Should I have left it alive so that they can make the kill themselves? That must be it. I bound off into the woods to hunt again. This time I will do better. I sit still–-laying low in the multi-colored leaves–-keeping my eyes wide and ears open. A short distance away, a bush rustles and a small bird darts out. Perfect. It will be more of a challenge. Slowly, I and climb up a tree of smooth, white bark and climb out along its branches until I am directly above the unsuspecting creature. I let myself drop, and as I land I trap its wing in my jaws and trot out of the woods and into the house.

      Once inside I drop my prize at the feet of another human. It flies off. Soon other humans join the first trying to catch my prize. I sit back and watch, purring with contentment that I have done something right. Then they catch it; however, they don’t kill it, they release it! Now what did I do?! The largest human picks me up by my scruff–-I stop purring–-and yells in my face, though I don’t know what in the world he’s trying to tell me. Then nothing is holding me. I stumble upon landing on the floor. I slink away, thinking over the days events. I’m doing something wrong, but what? I’ll just keep hunting until I get it right.

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

Beautiful Creatures — Book Review

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Reviewer:  Tanya M.

Beautiful Creatures is a fantasy book about a boy named Ethan. He has lived in Gatlin his whole life. His mother died in an accident and his father is an introvert. There is a new girl at school named Lena. She is the niece of the crazy Macon Ravenwood. She is more than she seems.

Genres:  Fiction, Fantasy, Suspense

The Lost Hero — Book Review

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Reviewer:  Isaac R.

     In The Lost Hero Jason woke up on a bus with no memory at all. Later on in the book he finds out that it was Hera that stole his memories and to get them back he must find her and free her before Gaea (the earth) rises and destroys everything. Jason, Leo, and Piper must all overcome their fears and fight one of the most risky, dangerous, and the most suicidal missions of all.

Genres:  Fiction, Action