eventh graders are working on the elements of good writing. Most of them have mastered a clear and organized paragraph and are now working on learning how to structure a good essay. They have dabbed into narrative writing with the fairy tale they wrote early in the year where they changed the elements of the Five Themes of Geography. Using the content learned in the social studies classes they can fill their writing with imagination as well as facts. For example, using point of view students have written about a medieval character and soon they will be writing about Czarist Russia.
To help their writing skills, in grammar we are reviewing the Eight Parts of Speech and familiarizing them with the Six Traits of Writing.
Reading is also a very important part of our curriculum. Most students are into their third novel of the year! They have all read Among the Hidden, a book with many sequels, which has encouraged many to read on for pleasure. Soon all students will be reading a novel on Russia.
Here are two examples of anecdotes about Medieval characters:
The Dragon and I
One afternoon I was strolling through the dark forest when it unexpectedly started to rain. I immediately looked for and ran to the nearest cave. At first I couldn’t even see my own hand in front of my face, but as soon as lightning struck, I saw the two bright red eyes of a frightening dragon. He slowly got closer to me and with every step he took, I could see his face clearer and clearer. The dragon had dark purple scales that shone in the light. He was slender and had hidden ears. When I had a complete view of him, my mouth dropped open. I had never seen such a fearsome creature!
The dragon then stared talking. His voice was soft and clear, not at all what you would expect from a dragon. The dragon told me his name, asked me a few questions and showed me around his spacious cave. He was very curious. The cave was very messy and when I pointed this out to him, he stared at me with a confused face. We were drinking tea and having an interesting conversation, when suddenly we heard some footsteps from right outside the entrance.
Standing in the doorway was an even bigger dragon! That brave dragon, without any problem, was able to take the big one down by simply spitting fire out of his mouth. I was so pleased of being saved by the dragon that I decided to become his friend. Even though he was happy living in his cave, he seemed lonely and in need of a good friend. From that moment on we were the best of friends.
By Paulina W.
The Wizard
The first day that I met the wizard I was on a boat in the river and saw him casting spells on the riverbank. I pulled over to the shore and watched him for a few minutes. I was so amazed that I climbed out of the boat and asked him to teach me some spells.
He started babbling so quickly that I couldn’t understand him. I noticed that one of his eyes was just a large pupil with no iris and the other was a normal brown eye. He was wearing a very ugly and tattered brown robe that didn’t even cover his knees. His hair was black and white and he had a small mustache that curled up to his cheeks. He stopped talking and waved his hand, motioning for me to go inside with him. I followed him and he said in broken English, “This is kingdom,” pointing at a toy version of the kingdom. “This is what I do to it,” he said as he kicked over the castle and a couple of shops. I saw that his leg was thin and hairless when he knocked the toy over. “You help me?” he asked. I thought about what he was asking and realized he was a maniac and wanted me to help him destroy the kingdom. I kicked his toy castle as a distraction and ran out to my boat.
The wizard shot a spell at me but missed and hit his door. The door exploded behind me and I jumped into my boat and paddled as fast as I could. I will never forget that crazed look on his face as I paddled away.
By Adam E.
Here is an example of an essay:
Ricardo M.
The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire is very interesting. This Empire lasted 1,000 years more than the Roman Empire, and they were both related in many ways. The Byzantines had 88 emperors in total, of which 29 were killed violently. They also followed the Eastern Orthodox Church, which was different from the one the Romans followed. Although both empires were 850 miles apart, they were very similar to each other.
The Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire were very similar. Both were known because of having a strong army. Also, the Byzantine Empire is considered as the continuation of Rome in the East after it fell. The Romans and the Byzantines also followed the same religious principles until 1054 when the schism between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches was officially complete. Although both empires shared various aspects, the Byzantine Empire lasted 1000 years more than the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire fell in 476 C.E, while the Byzantine Empire lasted 1000 years more than that, because of several key factors. The first of them was Constantinople’s geographic location. This city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople was located in a peninsula, which meant three out of four sides were surrounded and protected by water, and only one side was left to guard from land attacks. Plus, if the ships from the enemies would pass the navy, there was an unbreakable chain that would stop the ships from entering Constantinople. Another factor that made this city strong was that it was surrounded by walls that protected the city from enemies, and that they had a very strong army. I find the Byzantine Empire very interesting, since it lasted 1000 years more than the Roman Empire, although they had a considerable amount of aspects in common.
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