8th grade work for Monday, March 16th, 2020

Hi 8th graders,

Welcome to day one of distance learning and thank you for being here!

I am proud of all of you for your willingness to learn in a new way and the persistence, positivity, ingenuity, and growth I know you will demonstrate in the weeks ahead. When it gets tough, remember, I might not be with you physically, but I’m still your teacher! If you ever have questions, suggestions, ideas, or just a really good book recommendation, I am always available via email (grzegocki@st-johnschool.org) and will be most responsive Monday – Friday from 9am to 3pm.

For today, you have two main areas of focus for Literature – monologues and starting your daily reading log.

  • Monologues
    1. If you haven’t picked a monologue, you need to do so today. Check the list of monologues already selected for your class (Thomas and Mansfield) to make sure yours isn’t taken, then email me (grzegocki@st-johnschool.org) with the name of your selection.
    2. Read over your monologue, and any additional information provided.
    3. Thoughtfully and thoroughly complete the “Questions to guide your monologue” worksheet
      • This will help you understand who your character is and why this speech is important to him/her/them, both of which affect the way you will perform your monologue!
      • Note: You need to download and type your answers in the Word document so you can submit your work electronically.
    4. If you are done with steps 1-3, begin to annotate your monologue with your performance ideas. We practiced this in class with “Almost 16”.
      1. Pay particular attention to the changes in tone, topic, or thoughts, as dictated by the content or how you choose to perform it.
      2. You can use these changes to break up your monologue and make it easier to memorize (and perform) in the weeks to come!
  • Daily reading (includes weekends)
    1. Purpose: The benefits of reading are many and wonderful. Sometimes we forget all the amazing things we gain from reading. Luckily, we have a lot of time on our hands right now, time that can be well spent with books!
    2. Instructions:
      1. Make a copy of the “ReadingLog 2020 Template” I shared with you on Office,  rename it with the first letter of your first name and your entire last name, then share the new document with me. For example, my reading log would be saved as “GRzegocki ReadingLog 2020”. If all goes according to plan, I will end up with 109 reading logs, one for each 7th and 8th grader I teach, by the end of the day.
      2. Read at least 30 minutes from any book you choose. It should be appropriately interesting and challenging for you. Let me know if you need some help finding a book!
      3. Fill out the reading log you created and shared with me in Step 1.
      4. The “Evidence” section of the reading log is flexible and I’ve listed some options below. Let me know if you have other ideas!
        1. Record a quote that you liked or stuck with you, and explain why you liked it or how it connects to the story.
        2. Write a one- to two-sentence summary of what you read.
        3. Describe an important character that showed up in your reading.
        4. Draw a picture/comic relating to what you read, anything you consider to be important, for example a scene, the setting, a character, or an object that impacts the plot.
        5. Insert a picture of you reading (this can be as simple or creative as you like – see my sample entry 😁)

Have fun!

That’s everything for today. Please contact me with any questions.

Main Menu