"Be The Change" to Make the World a Better Place

As we wait for our books to arrive from the other school libraries in the state, we will begin this year's entries for the Will Reynolds Essay Contest. See this year's prompt here.

To get you thinking about the topic, check out the stories of these teens who are being the change that they wish to see in their world...

Nu-Kermeni Kermah - She spoke out to her Governor to get her school repaired. NBC even covered her story!

Gabriel Hernandez - He speaks out for issues that affect affect his school and community.

Sydney Chinowsky - She spoke out to to legislators to rethink standardized testing.

Stuck for ideas about how to organize your writing? Check out these ideas!

Book Club Options

Check out this Google Doc with all of your Book Club options! I'll be taking your top choices in class. These books will serve as mentor texts (either in terms of content, structure, or style) for your own research projects!

More updates and resources for your research projects will be posted soon!

Pictures from Casey Farm!

Sample Theme Park Final Product

This is a very simplified version, but has the pieces you need. Don't let my creativity hamper you...I want your projects to be better than mine!!

Remember the shortcut to link is CTRL + K. Happy creating!

Sample Short Stories and Rubric Calibration

Here are some sample short stories written by students I have taught in previous years. Read through the rubric (that you helped to create!) and see what you notice. Then, read through the story and make at least one comment related to an aspect of the rubric. Finally, put a * in the boxes that correlate with the scores you think this story should receive. We will discuss along the way!

The Adventures of Purple Turtle

The Wave

Theme Park STEAM Project!

Here are some resources we will be using as we kick off our Theme Park STEAM Project! As you explore these resources, you will be thinking about them as "mentor texts." You will use the following questions to help you make observations and design your own materials to advertise your park:

• What do you notice about the words used to describe the park?
• What do you notice about the words used to describe the rides?
• What do you notice about the design of the websites, maps, etc?

Overview of Theme Parks

Top 10 Theme Parks (video)

Types of Theme Park Rides

Theme Park Rides

List of Amusement Rides

Theme Park Maps with Descriptions

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Explore Walt Disney World

Legoland Rides

Theme Park Insider (click on a theme park on the right)