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

Late Arrival Day!

Hello Everyone,

     Please remember that Wednesday, October 26 is a two-hour delay day for students (not staff) here at BEMS. Children can expect buses to be two hours later than usual, as the day begins at 9:10 instead of the usual 7:10. Staff members, as we always do on such days, will be up to our noses in faculty meetings and trainings during this time.

     Enjoy the time! Also, remember that Thursday we start presenting persuasive projects in class; be prepared to demonstrate you know your material, and be prepared to stand up in front of your peers.

With Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Sick Day

Good morning,

     I am taking today off to avoid infecting the school with the obnoxious cold I have. I expect to be back on Monday, but for today students know to work on their persuasive projects and not waste their time. Enjoy the rainy weather and be productive!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of October 17 – 21

Good afternoon,

     We started this week with a lesson on how to organize a bibliography entry; as students gather sources for their arguments, they can now cite the sources properly to avoid losing credit for plagiarism or an incorrect works cited page. Here is a nifty document we made today to help understand how it will look.

     Tuesday will be a silent reading day in class; students should bring their books and read quietly for the duration of the period. Remember to respect the other students in the room and not distract them from their stories.

     Wednesday will be another day to develop essays; students should continue finding sources and providing evidence to support their claims. By now, every student should have a solid claim, so the evidence is just a matter of sifting through the vast quantities of information on the internet to locate credible sources. Remember — just because it is a .org website does NOT mean it is credible. Consider the content and consider the source.

     Thursday will either be another silent reading day or a chance to reflect on the third Presidential Debate, which will have happened Wednesday evening. Should we go with the debate, students will watch and point out logical fallacies, errors of reasoning, and contradictions. As an audience, they will be assessed on their ability to express themselves clearly and listen attentively.

     Friday will be another day to work on the persuasive project. Students should finish finding their sources and begin wrapping up the organization of their essays. Remember that presentations begin on Thursday, October 27.

     After school, today the boys have a soccer game at home, and they have their last home game on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30. Come out and support them! Our field hockey girls have their last home game tomorrow (Tuesday) at 3:30; this is earlier than their usual time, so don't be late! Newspaper club meets Tuesday right after school, and chess club on Wednesday at the usual time, too.

     We have only two weeks until Halloween, which falls on a Monday this year. If you are wearing a costume to school, remember that it must conform to the dress code despite the festivities.

     That's all! Thank you for reading, and get in touch if you have any questions.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Trimester Three Begins

Good morning,

     Monday is the start of Trimester Three here at Bonny Eagle Middle School. That means we have only three months until the end of school. While progress reports from Trimester Two will go home by the end of this week, students should be looking forward to see what they need to accomplish before the final wave of dismissals in mid-June.

     This week in Barclay Language Arts, students will reflect on how much they have accomplished so far this year, and how much they still need to accomplish. Reviewing their records, they will draft plans to finish the class as independently and productively as possible, based on the required skills they have yet to demonstrate.

     Enjoy the remainder of this gorgeous weekend; go out and soak in the sunshine before the rains come this week. Spring is on its way!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Week in Preview — September 14

Hello Everyone,

     I hope you all had a good weekend. I had to replace a corroded brake line in my car and rotate some tires, but it was a good weekend overall. This week, September 14–18, starts comfortably, but we will be back up into the 80s from Tuesday on.

     This week, we will continue our development of the elements of literature, which we started with theme last week. You will work in groups and individually on terms and application of the concepts.

1. On Monday, students will discuss terms and definitions in class, including application of concepts with a story of their choice.
2. On Tuesday, students will provide and work with examples of setting, characterization, point of view, and conflict.
3. On Wednesday, students will provide and work with examples of mood, irony, foreshadowing, and plot.
4. On Thursday, students will provide and work with examples of symbolism and theme.
5. On Friday, students will recap the concepts and write a Week in Review.

     Remember that Tuesday is Picture Day here at Bonny Eagle Middle School, and Open House has been rescheduled for Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 7:30. Students also have their first dance on Friday from 6:30 to 8:30.

     Finally, Yearbook Club meets Tuesday afternoon from 2:20 to 4:00 in Room 83 (my room), and Chess Club meets Wednesday afternoon from 2:20 to 4:00 in Room 98 (Mr. O'Searcoid's room, in Clan MacCallum).

     Have a good week!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

The Personal Narrative

Hello Everyone!

     Tomorrow your personal narrative is due; you have had weeks to complete this, and I am looking forward to reading your final results.  For your convenience, I have attached the rubric I will use for this assignment; you can check your work against it before handing it in!

     Click here to access the rubric for the project.  This is a 100-point assignment, remember, so do well!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Class Constitution!

Good Afternoon!

     All the students in Clan Dundee have been working hard for the last three weeks.  They are learning to cope with a new grading system, adjusting to a new teacher, and keeping track of their homework assignments.  Today, at long last, marks the completion of their first unit of study.  They studied parts of the US Constitution, and today they officially signed their own Class Constitution, which will now be the law of the land in Language Arts.

     You should be very proud of the work that went into this document.  This is entirely student-created, from the wording of the laws to the content of each Article and Section, which they also chose and organized.  As the year goes on, and some laws need to be revised or removed, the students and I will negotiate amendments.

     Read the Class Constitution below!

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris


    Dundee clan this year has written their own Constitution! The Constitution is about the rules of our ELA classes. These may include being safe, responsible, and respectful. Some of the rules also may apply for the whole school. The Constitution goes from being silent to having class debates. Yes, school may not be our favorite, but you must participate! Some other things may include asking questions and helping other students getting their work done. This year’s Dundee classes will be respectful, responsible, and safe.

Article I:  Safety

Section 1:
    We will keep all materials to ourselves and avoid distracting others with personal objects. We will sit in our chairs correctly to avoid injury or distraction to others, and when we leave we will quietly push in our chairs to keep the room looking sharp. To avoid damage to our laptops we will at all times keep food and drinks away from our laptops. Students will have the right to eat and drink in class, as long as they obey the laptops rules and don’t cause a distraction. If they break the rules their freedom to eat and drink will be taken away.

Article II:  Fun Learning

 Section 1:   
    To avoid sitting around and listening to lectures, students will have the right to have fun while being taught as long as they earn it. In the classroom, we will promote enjoyable learning by having class-wide activities. During class, we will make time for reading. Depending on how the week went, every Friday we may have the privilege to choose fun activities to do for the class. If we behave, we will be rewarded for our good behavior.

Our First Project

Hello Everyone,

     Our first project this year is to write a Class Constitution, which will embody all the rules and regulations we feel are appropriate for our classroom.  Students will read and analyze the original US Constitution for this project, and will base our Class Constitution on its design and concepts.  This will be our "Code of Cooperation."

     Click here to access and read the rubric for this unit.  All homework, classwork, and the final product will be graded based on this rubric.  The completed Constitution will be a 100 point project grade.

     If this is your first time reading one of my rubrics, I suggest you click here to access and read my handy guide on "How to Read a Rubric."  There is a permanent link in the Links column to the right.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris