Homework: Imagery

Choose one family member, and describe him or her using imagery/sensory details. Use at least one of the following: simile, metaphor, or personification.

Your description should create an image that readers will have an emotional response to.

Q2 Benchmark Exams

The last few weeks of the 2nd marking period are upon us! I'd like to announce the testing dates for 7th grade ELA.

Dates and exams will be as follows:

√ Wednesday, Jan. 22-- Reading comprehension
√ Thursday, Jan. 23-- Reading comprehension (Day 2)
√ Friday, Jan. 24--Conventions and Grammar

Attendance on these days is extremely important! Please encourage students to prepare for the Benchmark by reviewing the concepts and skills we've learned this quarter, and to be in school especially on those dates!

Thank you!

Homework: Imagery At Home

In one paragraph, describe your home using sensory details (imagery), and using one example of metaphor, simile, or personification.

Remember to use vivid details that appeal to the senses, to make the reader imagine how it looks, feels, sounds, and smells in your home!

Homework: "A Child's Painting"

Read the poem "A Child's Painting," and complete the chart from class with a quote that uses each type of figurative language: idiom, metaphor, simile. Be sure to write the type of figurative language below the quote.

For each quote, explain what the author is saying (interpret), and explain how the figure of speech enhances the poem's meaning.

Homework: Open-Ended Response Revision

On a separate sheet of paper, please revise the open-ended question #17. Be sure to follow the ACQC guidelines in your response.

This will count as a separate test grade (10 points). Due tomorrow!

Announcement: Make-up Work Policy

One of the main things I've always striven to be as a teacher is understanding and patient, because I know Life Happens to all of us. Sometimes we just can't get everything done. These times are exceptions to the standard, but unfortunately for too many students, missed assignments have become the standard. Therefore, to emphasize the importance of completing and submitting work on time, I have decided that as of Jan. 2, 2014, I will no longer accept late/make-up work from students who were in class when it was assigned. It is my hope that more students will begin to take their academic performance and their success seriously, and that this site will be another means of support for that to happen.

I appreciate your understanding and support, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have!

"The Gift of the Magi"- Winter Break Project

We have just finished reading O'Henry's classic story, "The Gift of the Magi." During your winter break, as we celebrate the season of giving and warmth (in all this cold weather!), consider the ways Della and Jim gave to one another in spite of having so little.

Your project requires two parts: visual and written, each worth 25 points. For each part, you have options to choose from, so be sure to choose the one that best shows your talents and understanding of the story and skills! Show yo

Deadline: January 2, 2014

Need another copy of the assignment and/or story? Check them out here:

"The Gift of the Magi" Project
"The Gift of the Magi" (story text)