12/19/18

English 8 - Thursday, 12/20 - test on classifying sentences according to use.

12/17/18

Lit 8 - Due Tuesday, 12/18 - Proofreading worksheet, page 111, top and bottom.
Lit 7 - Wednesday, 12/19 - Drama vocab test on genre - dialogue.

12/14/18

Lit 6 - Monday, 12/17 - Proofreading page 27 due.
Lit 7 - Wednesday, 12/19 - drama vocab test on genre - dialogue.

12/13/18

Lit 7 - Due Friday, 12/14 - Proofreading page 67, top and bottom. Reminder - Drama vocab test on Wednesday, 12/19 on genre - dialogue.
Lit 6 - Due Monday, 12/17 - Proofreading page 27, top and bottom.

12/12/18

Lit 6 - Thursday, 12/13 - nonfiction vocab test on biography - humorous essay.
Eng 8 - Thursday, 12/13 - Pronoun unit test. Folders are due at time of test.

12/10/18

Grade 8 - Study for short story vocab test on Wednesday, 12/12. Pronoun unit test will be on Thursday, 12/13. Students will take the pre-test on Tuesday, 12/11.
Grade 7  - Study for the pronoun unit test on Tuesday, 12/11. Study for the drama vocab test on 12/19.
Grade 6 - Study for the nonfiction vocab test on Thursday, 12/13.

12/7/18

Reminders:
English 7 and 8 - Tuesday, 12/11. Pronoun unit test and folders due.
Lit 8- Wednesday, 12/12 - short story vocab test on irony - caricature.
Lit 6 - Thursday, 12/13 - nonfiction vocab test on biography - humorous essay.
Lit 7 - Wednesday, 12/19 - drama vocab test on genre - dialogue.

12/6/18

Lit 7 - Friday, 12/7 - Journal check. Students should have 7 entries. I went over them today in class.

12/4/18

Literature 7 - Wednesday, December 19 - drama vocab test on genre - dialogue.
**** Please note: If you are leaving early for Christmas break, you must take the test before you leave for vacation.

Drama Vocabulary

 Genre: A group, type, or classification of literature (Drama, short story, etc.).

Characterization: The developing of three-dimensional characters: not just what the person looks like, but who they are on the inside, what kind of person they are, what they stand for and believe. A good author shows you the personality through what a person says and does.

Casting: Picking the right person for the role.

Setting: Not just where and when the story takes place, but all of the visual details that make up the look of the drama. Limited by time, space, and money.

Staging: Creating the illusion of the setting.

Director: The person who translates the drama from the written word in to visual.

Dialogue: The words the character speaks.

12/5/18

English 8 - Tuesday, 12/11 - Pronoun unit test. Folders due at time of test.
English 7 - Tuesday, 12/11 - Pronoun unit test. Folders due at time of test.
Reminders:
Lit 8 - Wednesday, 12/12 - short story vocab test on irony - caricature.
Lit 6 - Thursday, 12/13 - nonfiction vocab test on biography - humorous essay.

12/3/18

Lit 8 - Due tomorrow, Tuesday, 12/4. Love letter to future spouse, if not completed in class today.
Reminders:
Lit 8 - Wednesday, 12/12, short story vocab test on irony - caricature.
Lit 6 - Thursday, 12/13 - nonfiction vocab test on biography - humorous essay.

11/29/18

Lit 8 - Monday, 12/3 - Journal check. Students should have 12 entries.
Reminders:
Lit 8 - Wednesday, 12/12 - short story vocab test on irony - caricature.
Lit 6 - Thursday, 12/13 - nonfiction vocab test on biography - humorous essay.

11/20/18

Lit 6 - Thursday, 12/13 - Nonfiction vocab test on biography - humorous essay.

Biography: The story of someone’s life told by someone else. The subject is known and of interest to other people. Tells you the facts of the subject’s life and explains what these facts mean.

Narrative essay: A short nonfiction composition that tells a story that may focus on a character other than the writer.

Descriptive essay: A short nonfiction composition that uses vivid sensory details to describe people or places.

Personal essay: A short nonfiction composition that gives an informal account of an episode from a person’s own life.

Reflective essay: A short nonfiction composition that presents a writer’s thought about ideas or experiences.

Persuasive essay: A short nonfiction composition where a series of arguments are presented to convince readers to believe or act in a certain way.

Humorous essay: A short nonfiction composition meant to amuse readers. Writers sometimes create humor by contrasting the reality of the situation with the character’s mistaken views of what is happening.

Lit 8 Wednesday, 12/12 - Short story vocab test on Irony - caricature.

Irony: Figure of speech in which the actual intent is expressed in words which carry the opposite meaning. Lighter than sarcasm.

Dramatic Irony: A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience or reader knows to be true.

Irony of situation: An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the character or the reader.

Allusion: Reference in a work of literature to person, place, or thing in another work such as literature, music, history, painting, or mythology. Adds meaning to the story.

Willing suspension of disbelief: Reader voluntarily agrees to set aside what he knows to be true and accept what is presented as reality in the story.

Alliteration: Repetition of an initial consonant sound in two or more words of a phrase. Consonant is picked to enhance meaning. (Huge, hooting, howling, hissing, horrible, bellow)

Point of view: The way an author chooses to see and tell a story.

First-person narrative: A character tells the story referring to himself as "I" and presenting only what he knows about events.

Inference: Reasonable conclusion one can draw from facts or evidence given.

Caricature: The distortion or exaggeration of the peculiarities in a character’s personality. Often for humorous effect.

11/7/18

Lit 7 - Thursday, 11/8 - Novel vocab test. Climax - symbol.
Lit 8 - Thursday, 11/8 - Short story vocab test. Oxymoron - surprise ending.

11/6/18

Lit 6 - Wednesday, 11/7 - nonfiction vocab test. genre - autobiography.
Eng 7 - Due Wednesday, 11/7 - English handout, exercise 33 old.

11/5/18

Lit 6 - Wednesday, 11/7 - nonfiction vocab test. Genre - autobiography.
Lit 7 - Thursday, 11/8 - novel vocab test. Climax - symbol.
Lit 8 - Thursday, 11/8 - Short story vocab. oxymoron - surprise ending.

11/1/18

Lit 6 - Tuesday, 11/6/18 - Journal check:
9/27 - Release
10/15 - Letter
10/23 - Bedroom (1/2 page)
10/25 - Favorite sport
11/1 - Music

10/30/18

Reminders:
Lit 8 - Thursday, 11/8 - short story vocab test. oxymoron - surprise ending.
Lit 7 - Thursday, 11/8 - Novel vocab test. Climax - symbol.
Lit 6 - Wednesday, 11/7 - nonfiction vocab test. Genre - autobiography.

10/23/18

Lit 6 - Due Wednesday, 10/24 - proofreading pages 21 and 23, top and bottom. Please note that page 23 is on the back side of page 21.
Lit 7 - Due Wednesday, 10/24 - Proofreading page 63.
Lit 7 - Thursday, 11/8 - Novel vocab test on climax - symbol.

Climax: That point in the story where you know that the dilemma has been resolved.

Denouement: What happens as a result of the dilemma being resolved.

Antagonists: Forces creating the dilemma. Must have both positive and negative forces or there is no dilemma. They can be a person, thing, situation, or belief.

Theme: A universal truth about people – the things they do, the way they are, that can be applied to your life. Not a dippy moral.

Parable: Short tale that illustrates a universal truth, a belief that appeals to all people.

Foreshadowing: A device where the author gives clues that hint at later events in the story. Makes surprise endings more believable.

Symbol: Something that has meaning in itself and also stands for or represents something else. (American flag – patriotism, Dove – peace, Crucifix – our faith)

10/22/18

Lit 8 - Thursday, 11/8, Short story vocab test - oxymoron - surprise ending:

Oxymoron: Figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined for a certain effect. (Bittersweet, horribly good.)

Connotation: An emotional impact of a word or phrase beyond its literal meaning.

Science Fiction: A literary genre that deals with people or worlds that do not exist in our reality. Based loosely on scientific principles.

Flashback: A literary device where an event from the past is inserted into the present. Seems as if it is happening in present time. Shows how the present is influenced by the past.

 Chronological Order: The order in which events actually occur in time.

Foreshadowing: A device where the author gives clues that hint at later events in the story. Makes surprise endings more believable.

Red herring: False clue meant to mislead.

Foil: Anyone serving to set off/contrast someone different or superior.

Symbol: Something that has meaning in itself and also stands for or represents something else. (American flag – patriotism, Dove – peace, Crucifix – our faith)

Surprise ending: Unexpected twist at the end of a story that you did not predict. Must be believable. Use of foreshadowing to hint at the surprise so it is believable.

10/17/18

English 7 and 8 - Thursday, 10/18 - Test on personal pronoun chart.

Lit 6 - Wednesday, 11/7 - Nonfiction vocab test on genre - autobiography. Students have the handout with all of the vocab words. I give them the words, and they have to write out the complete definition.

Nonfiction Vocabulary

Genre: A group, type, or classification of Literature. (Short Story, Poetry, etc.)

Letter: A written communication from one person to another. In personal letters writer shares information, thoughts, and feelings with one other person.

Journal: A daily account of events and the writer’s thoughts and feelings about those events.

Media accounts: Reports, explanations, opinions, and descriptions written for television, radio, newspapers, and magazines.

Essay: A short piece of nonfiction in which a writer presents a personal view of a topic.

Expository essay: A short, nonfiction piece that explains or gives information about a topic.

Autobiography: The story of a person’s life written by that person. Includes key events of a person’s life and reveals his struggles, values, and ideas.

10/15/18

Lit 8 - Due Tuesday, 10/16  -Proofreading p. 107.
Lit 6 - Due Tuesday, 10/16 - Proofreading, p. 19.
English 8 - Thursday, 10/18 - test on the personal pronoun chart:

Case	Singular	Plural
1st person:
Nominative	I	we
Possessive	mine	ours
Objective	me	us
2nd person:
Nominative	you	you
Possessive	yours	yours
Objective	you	you
3rd person:
Nominative	he, she, it	they
Possessive	hers, its, his	theirs
Objective	him, her, it	them

10/12/18

English 7 - Thursday, 10/18 - Test on the personal pronoun chart. I will give them a blank chart with only the left column filled in, and students will have to fill in the singular and plural columns.

Case	Singular	Plural
1st person:
Nominative	I	we
Possessive	mine	ours
Objective	me	us
2nd person:
Nominative	you	you
Possessive	yours	yours
Objective	you	you
3rd person:
Nominative	he, she, it	they
Possessive	hers, its, his	theirs
Objective	him, her, it	them

10/5/18

English 8 - Thursday, 10/11, Noun Unit test. Folders are due at time of test.

English 7 - Thursday, 10/11, Noun unit test. Folders are due at time of test.

9/27/18

Lit 7 - Due Friday, 9/28 - Journal check. Students should have 4 entries. I reviewed them today in class.

9/24/18

Lit 6 - Tuesday, 9/25 - Journal check. Students should have 4 entries.
Eng 7   - Tuesday, 9/25 -   Test on objective case uses for nouns.
Lit 8 - Tuesday , 9/25  - short  story vocab test.       Protagonist - title
Lit 7 - Tuesday, 9/25 - novel vocab test.  Genre - dilemma .

9/21/18

English 7 - Tuesday, 9/25 - Test on objective case uses for nouns.
Lit 7 -  Tuesday, 9/25 - novel vocab test on genre - dilemma
English 8 - Monday, 9/24 - Test on objective case uses for nouns
Lit 8 - Tuesday, 9/25 - short story vocab test on protagonist  -  title.

9/20/18

English 8 - Monday , 9/24, test on objective case uses for nouns.

9/18/18

Lit 8 - Thursday , 9 /20, journal check. Students should have 5 entries.
Lit 8 - Tuesday, 9/25 - short story vocab test  on protagonist -  title.
Lit 7   - Tuesday, 9/25 - novel vocab test on   genre - dilemma.

9/13/18

  Lit 7  - Due  Tuesday, 9/18 , - This will count as a test and homework grade . It must be typed, double-spaced , and at least two paragraphs. It will be graded for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  The title is "Survive."  Students should write about whether or not they could survive in the woods by themselves for a long period of time.  We  discussed this in class.

9/10/18

English  8- Tuesday, 9/11, test on nominative case uses for nouns - subject, subject  complement, direct address, and apposition.
English  7- Tuesday, 9/11, test on nominative case uses for nouns - subject, subject  complement, direct address, and apposition.

9/7/18

English 7  - Tuesday, 9/11,  test on nominative case uses for nouns - subject, subject complement, direct address, and apposition.

9/5/18

* English 7 - Due Thursday, 9.6, Exercise 3
*Lit 7  - see test information below
*Lit 8 - Tuesday, 9/25, short story vocab test  on protagonist - title.

Short Story Vocabulary

Protagonist: The main character of the story. Can be one person or a group of people. Always faces a dilemma and present in the climax. Always has some revelation or realization that he needs to have.

Dilemma: A struggle between opposing forces. The conflict can be internal or external. It’s often a problem the protagonist needs to solve or a realization that he needs to have.

Climax: That point in the story where you know that the protagonist has resolved his dilemma. It must be a direct quote from the story. The protagonist must be present in the climax.

Denouement: What happens as a result of the protagonist solving his dilemma. Not every story has one.

Antagonists: Forces upon the Protagonist creating his dilemma. Must have both positive and negative forces or there is no dilemma. They can be a person, thing, situation, or belief.

Theme: A universal truth about people – the things they do, the way they are, that can be applied to your life. Not a dippy moral.

Characterization: A drawing of three-dimensional characters that include looks, personality, character traits. In a short story it needs to be done quickly.

Plot: What happens in a story. Limited in a short story.

Setting: Where the story takes place. Includes description and sensory images.

Title: Name of the story. Often an important key into the meaning of the story.

Lit 7 - Tuesday, 9/25  . novel vocab test on genre - dilemma.

Genre: A group, type, or classification of Literature. (Novel, Poetry, etc.)

Plot: What happens in a story. Multiple plots and subplots in a novel

Setting: Where the story takes place. Includes description and sensory images. Multiple settings in a novel.

Title: Name of story. Often an important key into the meaning of the story.

Characterization: Drawing of three-dimensional characters including looks, personality, character traits.

Dilemma: A struggle between opposing forces. The conflict can be internal or external. It’s often a problem the protagonist needs to solve or a realization that he needs to have.

9/4/18

Lit 8 - Due Wednesday,  9/5 - Proofreading page 103 top and bottom.
Lit 7 - Due Wednesday, 9/5 - Proofreading page 59 top and bottom.
Lit 6 - Due Wednesday, 9/5 - Proofreading page 13 top and bottom.

Summer Reading 6th grade

Sixth Grade Literature Summer Reading

Mrs. Costanzo 703-680-4164

Supply List:

-Marble Composition Book

-Three-ring binder

-Five subject dividers

-Kleenex and/or paper towels for the Resource Room would be greatly appreciated. Please put them in a separate bag marked with my name so they don't get mixed up with donations to the sixth grade class.

Dear Parents,

            Please do not edit, correct, or change your child's summer work before it is turned in to me.  I believe that it is important for your child's growth and helps him or her take responsibility for the work.  Thank you for your cooperation.

This summer project is due on the first day of school.  A homework warning will be issued for any project not turned in on the first day of school and ten points will be deducted for each day it is late.  After the third day, the project will not be accepted and a zero will be recorded for the grade.  The summer work counts as a homework and a test grade. Projects may be typed or written on loose leaf.

Choose either a biography or an autobiography to read.  A biography is the story of a person's life written by another person.  An autobiography is when a person tells his or her own life story.  Each book must be between 125 and 150 pages long and may not be a young child's book.  Parents must approve the book before it is read. Write a report for the book you choose.  The report should be at least five paragraphs long. You should include the following in your report:

-Title and author of the book

-Background information on the person's life

-Important accomplishments

-Things the person had to overcome to achieve his or her goals

-People who had an impact on the person's life and what the impact was

-What you learned about life from studying this person and how you can apply it to your own life

Summer Reading 7th grade

Seventh Grade Literature Summer Reading

Mrs. Costanzo 703-680-4164

Supply List

-Marble Composition Book for Journal.  You may continue writing in the sixth grade                                                                                   journal if there are enough blank pages.

-Three-ring binder with four subject dividers, if needed.  You should use the same binder           that was used in sixth grade. Keep all sixth grade notes and vocab!

-English 7 – A yellow pocket folder for handouts.

Dear Parents.

            Please do not edit, correct, or change your child's summer work before it is turned in to me.  I believe that it is important for your child's growth and helps him or her take responsibility for the work.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Karen Costanzo

This summer project is due on the first day of school.  A homework warning will be issued for any project not turned in on the first day of school and ten points will be deducted for each day it is late.  After the third day, the project will not be accepted and a zero will be recorded for the grade.  The summer reading counts as a homework and a test grade. Projects may be typed or on loose leaf.

1. Novel

            Read Holes by Louis Sachar.  Keep a reading journal for every five chapters.  Comment on what you read as you are reading it.  You should have a minimum of one paragraph for every five chapters. Your paragraphs should have a minimum of five sentences each. There are 50 chapters, so you will have 10 entries. You should write the chapters you are writing about as headers, for example; Chapters 1 – 5, Chapters 6 – 10, etc.

In the reading journal, you should record your reactions, thoughts, and feelings about what you are reading. When you have finished the journal, answer the following questions in paragraph form. Who are the main characters? What kind of people are they?  What are their character traits?  How do the characters grow and mature as the book progresses?  What is the main conflict in this book?  How is it resolved?  What statement is the author making about people and life?  How can you apply what you've learned from this book to your own life?  This should not be a plot summary!!!

2. The Miracle Worker by William Gibson

            Keep a reading journal for each act as you read this play.  In the journal, record your reactions, thoughts, and feelings about what you are reading.  When you have finished the play, answer the following questions. Each answer to each question must be at least one paragraph. How does the relationship between Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan change and grow as the play progresses?  What does Helen learn about life from Annie and what does Annie learn from Helen.  What did you learn about life from this play and how can you apply it to your own life?  You may not say that it just doesn't apply to your life. Plays are meant to be performed.  What problems might you have if you were producing this play on stage?  What famous actors would you have play the main parts?  Remember, this should not be a plot summary!!!

Summer Reading 8th grade

Eighth Grade Literature Summer Reading

Mrs. Costanzo 703-680-4164

Supply List

Literature –

- Marble Composition Book

- Four Subject dividers (to be used with last year's binder)

- If you are a new student, you need a three-ring literature binder

English – Yellow Pocket folder to keep all returned worksheets and notes

Dear Parents.

            Please do not edit, correct, or change your child's summer work before it is turned in to me.  I believe that it is important for your child's growth and helps him or her take responsibility for the work.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Karen Costanzo

This summer project is due on the first day of school.  A homework warning will be issued for any project not turned in on the first day of school and ten points will be deducted for each day it is late.  After the third day, the project will not be accepted and a zero will be recorded for the grade.  The summer reading counts as a test and a homework grade. Projects may be typed or on loose leaf.

1. Short Story

            Read the following short stories by Edgar Allen Poe: 

                        a. "The Fall of the House of Usher"

                        b. "The Masque of the Red Death"

                        c. "The Cask of Amontillado"

            For each story, answer the following in essay form.   Who is the main character?  What conflict or dilemma must the main character face?  How is his conflict resolved?  What is Poe saying about people and life through the story?  How can you apply this lesson to your own life?  This should not be a plot summary.  You must answer the questions in your essay.  These stories can be found in any Poe anthology.

2. Poetry

            Read the attached six poems by Langston Hughes.  Write a paragraph on each of the poems you read explaining what you think the message of the poem is.  What makes the poem special?  How can the message of the poem apply to your own life?  You can't just tell me that it doesn't apply!

Poems by Langston Hughes

1. The Dream Keeper

Bring me all of your dreams,

You dreamers,

Bring me all of your heart melodies

That I may wrap them

In a blue cloud-cloth

Away from the too-rough fingers

Of the world.

2. Beggar Boy

What is there within this beggar lad

That I can neither hear nor feel nor see,

That I can neither know nor understand

And still it calls to me?

Is not he but a shadow in the sun –

A bit of clay, brown, ugly, given life?

And yet he plays upon his flute a wild free tune

As if Fate had not bled him with her knife?

3. In Tine of Silver Rain

In time of silver rain

The earth

Puts forth new life again

Green grasses grow

And flowers lift their heads,

And over all the plain

The wonder spreads

     Of life,

     Of life,

     Of life!

In time of silver rain

The butterflies

Lift silken wings

To catch a rainbow cry,

And trees put forth

New leaves to sing

In joy beneath the sky

As down the roadway

Passing boys and girls

Go singing, too,

In time of silver rain

     When spring

      And new life

      Are new.

4. Dreams

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow

5.As I Grew Older

It was a long time ago

I have almost forgotten my dream.

But it was there then,

In front of me,

Bright life a sun –

My dream

And then the wall rose,

Rose slowly,

Slowly,

Between me and my dream.

Rose slowly, slowly,

Dimming,

Hiding,

The light of my dream.

Rose until it touched the sky –

The wall.

Shadow.

I am black.

I lie down in the shadow.

No longer the light of my dream before me,

Above me.

Only the thick wall.

Only the shadow.

My hands!

My dark hands!

Break through the wall!

Find my dream!

Help me to shatter this darkness,

To smash this night,

To break this shadow

Into a thousand lights of sun,

Into a thousand whirling dreams

Of sun!

6.Youth

We have tomorrow

Bright before us

Like a flame.

Yesterday

A night-gone thing,

A sun-down name.

And dawn-today

Broad arch above the road we came.

We march!