Music Lyrics

- Here are search results that you can use to find your lyrics:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=song+lyrics&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=active

• Find your lyrics.
• Copy and paste them into a Word document.
• Double space.
• Separate into stanzas if not done already.
• Give credit (copy and paste) to the website from which you are taking your lyrics.
• Make sure you have the title of the song, the artist, and the performer.
• Print two copies of your lyrics.

7th and 8th Grade LA- Monday, Nov. 15

7th and 8th Grade- Extended Writing

Revising, (Improving), and Editing

- Goals Today:

- Finish work from Friday; you may have to re-read those directions.

- Share your Google doc with a few classmates; receive feedback from others, give feedback.

- Do a word count on your document. Less than 600 is probably too short, more than 1,200 is probably too long. Talk to Ms. Collopy for clarification.

- Print at least one copy to have your parents read/ use for LA tomorrow.

When asking for and giving feedback to others:

- Read the entire essay/story/letter.

- Give the author ideas about paragraphs that need more details, elaboration, examples, etc.

- When giving feedback about the personal narrative and the creative short story, give ideas on places for more dialogue and imagery.

- Give feedback on sentence fluency and variety.

- Offer ideas for improving the writing.

- Give all feedback on the Google doc, not by yelling across the room.

Homework - Monday, November 15, 2010-

- *Print a copy of your writing. It might be easier to copy and paste your document into Word; save it in Word; print to MSLABHP4200.

- Ask a parent or another adult (older siblings are fine) to read your essay/story/letter. Ask them to read it at least once and give you feedback on your ideas, sentence fluency, word choice, creativity, etc. Have them help you find CUPS errors too.

Language Arts- 7th and 8th Grade

Language Arts- Friday, November 12

*Please read this entire blog post before you start your work today.

8th Grade Students

- Publish your Lois Lowry paragraph on your blog. Then, read all of the directions and proceed with today's work.

Do you have all four of your rough drafts?

Re-read all four (or however many you have with you today). Which one do you like the most? Which one is the best?

Objective:

- To revise, edit, and publish one full extended writing piece by the end of class on Monday. (*If you don't finish by Monday, November 15, you will have to arrange access to technology to turn your essay in by Wednesday).

Step 1- REVISE

- You've re-read your rough draft.

- Do you understand the topic, the mode of writing, and the audience for whom you are writing?

- Type your piece into a Google Doc (school account).

- Just TYPE! Don't worry about any formatting or editing issues.

- Let Ms. Collopy know when you have it typed into your Google Doc.

*REVISION STRATEGY #1- Go through your rough draft. Do you have enough IDEAS? Have you elaborated, given examples, provided evidence throughout the piece?

- If you have chosen the black and white picture short story....

- Is it creative?

- Does it tell a story?

- Does the story follow the plot principles of Freytag's Pyramid?

- Is there a conflict?

- Is there dialogue?

- Does it make sense?

- If you have chosen the hero essay...

- Is it on topic? Do you have enough ideas, examples, elaboration, evidence, and examples?

-Write a well-developed essay (4-6 paragraphs) about the following topic. Make sure to plan your writing first.

Imagine you could be a hero for a day. Write a well-developed essay describing what you would do and why. Be sure to include a description/definition of what a hero is. Would you be a super-hero or more ordinary? Who would you help? How? What might an ordinary day in the life of a hero look like? Explain why the world needs heroes.

- If you have chosen the Letters About Literature...

- Is it on topic? Remember, it's a letter connecting to the author, the characters, the conflict, the resolution. It's not a book report. Perhaps you've shared how the book has changed you or affected you. Do you have examples that connect to the experiences or parts of the book that have affected you?

- If you have chosen your personal memory/memoir...

- Does the story or memory itself relay its importance? In other words, do you have to state, "This is why this memory is important to me." Instead, the story speaks for itself. Have you used dialogue, imagery (descriptive writing), similes, or metaphors?

REVISION STRATEGY #2:

- Sentence Variety.

- List the first word in every sentence of your writing piece. Look for repetition. Change the beginning of at least five sentences. Use your topic sentence packet for inspiration on how to start sentences in a variety of ways.

- Do any of your sentences begin with SO, AND, BUT, or OR? Change them.

- Does the length of your sentences vary?

*Check your grade on PowerSchool. Feel free to print a grade report if you want. I will not give you print-outs today.

Students: Come up to Ms. Collopy and quietly whisper your favorite movie to her for five extra credit points! Good job reading all the directions! Shhhhh, don't tell your neighbor...

When You Are Finished with Franklin Work...

7th Graders

- Use this link and take a few grammar quizzes. Start with the quiz on capitalization.

Grammar Quizzes

8th Graders

- Use this link and take a few grammar quizzes. Take the punctuation quizzes in order.

Grammar Quizzes

Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin Project

Week of October 4-October 8

Objective/Learning Goals:

- to explore the life and work of a famous American statesman, inventor, and author

- to show a mastery of summary skills

- to read from a variety of sources

- to create a personal "Life's Little Instruction Book" based on personal philosophies, yet modeled after Franklin's famous proverbs

- to use technology to access information and demonstrate knowledge, comprehension, synthesis, and evaluation of information

*Please read and review all of the directions before you start the webquest.

Procedure:

* use Firefox or Safari for all internet based activities

* use tab browsing to toggle in between websites, directions, Google Docs, and your Edublog

1. Ben Franklin Webquest

- answers copied and pasted onto a blog post

- title blog post Ben Franklin Webquest answers

- answers should be in complete sentences

- Here's the link, but you will have to copy and paste several different websites in order to find the correct information:

Ben Franklin Webquest start page

2. Summary Paragraph

- publish on your blog post; feel free to write the draft in Google Docs (here's the log-in: Google Docs/MSSD14 log in)

- use any of the following websites (or find your own reliable websites)

- http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/

- http://bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/

- http://www.libertyskids.com/arch_who_bfranklin.html

- http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/

- write a well-developed paragraph that summarizes Franklin's personal life, accomplishments, contributions, and legacy

- insert a picture (or two) into the post; make sure to give credit to the website where you found the image

- use a topic sentence from your topic sentence packet; use a concluding sentence

3. Proverb Translation

- Create a blog post titled Franklin's Proverbs and My Translations

- Define the word proverb first (you have to understand what a proverb is in order to translate them correctly).

- List one of Franklin's proverbs. Then, define the proverb in your own words (complete sentence; you may use dictionary.com; do not copy and paste, put it into your own words).

- Use the following link to translate 14 proverbs; you must choose the 14 proverbs from the 14 different years represented; read through several of them and put 14 into your own words!

- The post should be structured so that it's clear what year the proverb comes from, the original words, and your translation; use bullets, bold lettering, and spacing to show this organization

Here's the link for Franklin's proverbs:

http://www.vlib.us/amdocs/texts/

- scroll down to 1700s

- then use each year of "Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard" to look at the proverbs from the different years

- The 1733 link is a little harder to read because the proverbs are listed in a paragraph. You can do it!

3. Questions for Mr. Franklin

- Create a list of questions that you might ask Ben Franklin about his proverbs, his political viewpoints, and his outlook on the 21st century vs. his life during the 18th century.

- Title this blog post Questions for Mr. Franklin; you must have at least 10 questions that show a connection between his life and life now; questions should reflect his political accomplishments, current events, his proverbs, etc.

4. Life's Little Instruction Book

What advice would you give to elementary school kids about life, school, family, friends, sports, hobbies, good times, bad times, OR just any lessons that you've learned?

Here's a little information about the original Life's Little Instruction Book that was published years ago!

Jackson Brown originally wrote Life's Little Instruction book as a gift for his son who was leaving home to begin his freshman year in college. Brown says, "I read years ago that it was not the responsibility of parents to pave the road for their children but to provide a road map, and I wanted to provide him with what I had learned about living a happy and rewarding life." Life's Little Instruction Book is a guidebook that gently points the way to happiness and fulfillment. The observations are direct, simple, and as practical as an umbrella.

"Most of us already know how to live a successful and purposeful life," says Brown. "We know we should be more understanding and thoughtful, more responsible, courageous and appreciative. It's just that we sometimes need reminding." Life's Little Instruction Book is that reminder and the perfect gift for students, relatives, or a friend who needs encouragement at any time of the year. A New York Times #1 bestseller for 50 weeks, it is translated into 33 languages and continues to inspire readers throughout the world. This title is available in three separate volumes or in one book collection, The Complete Life's Little Instruction Book.

Read a few of the original "instructions." They're light-hearted and fun, yet they ring true with many people. Some of Life's Little Instructions...

Your Task:

- Create your own instruction book about life and living.

- Does your family have any sayings or beliefs that would be part of your list?

- Create at least 20 instructions. Title your blog post something unique that represents your instructions. List and number your 20 instructions. Use short explanations as necessary. Have fun with these instructions and be light-hearted.

8th Grade L.A.- September 15, 2010

1. SRI test and receive progress report to take home.

2. Google Docs - work on your summary paragraph. Comment on several others' paragraphs (4-6?). Your summary paragraph should accurately and concisely summarize the New York Times article on study habits. The information should be specific enough to show a true understanding of the four findings.

When you are ready to turn yours in, copy and paste it onto a Word document (because it prints in a more desirable format):

- double space

- proper heading

- Courier 12 pt. font

Food for thought:

For all our conceits about being the center of the universe, we live in a routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner ... on an unexceptional galaxy which is one of about 100 billion galaxies. ... That is the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to understand that. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)

- Write a post on your Edublog that reflects on that quote (agree, disagree, wonder, like, dislike, etc.). Can you add an image and give credit to where you found the image?

Monday, September 13, 2010

After you finish your SRI test (I'll send you home with reports to share with your parents today), please "play" in the following sites.

Complete this survey!

- It's short! The first two questions are mandatory, but you don't have to answer the third if it doesn't apply to you.

New School E-Mail (it looks like your Gmail, but it's not!)

- send an e-mail to a classmate or two through this new e-mail account; remember it's not your personal Gmail account

Google Docs Start Page (it looks similar to the e-mail screen, but it's different!)

- create a new document called "Language Arts Today" in Google Docs; save it

PowerSchool Log-in

- check your grades; what else can you find out here?

Edublogs

- log into your edublog from last year (or create a new edublog if you didn't last year); change the appearance (or play with it) of your blog

Ms. Collopy's 8th Grade Wiki

- Click on this link. I don't have much posted yet, but hope to use the Wiki as a useful resource (in addition to this blog).

Ms. Collopy's 7th Grade Wiki

- Click on this link. I don't have much posted yet, but hope to use the Wiki as a useful resource (in addition to this blog).

A confusing (yet fun?) brain teaser here

- Let me know when you figure it out, because I haven't yet!

Grammar Blast

Play the 7th or 8th grade review games and see how well you score.

Test

7th Grade Homework

Word Wall- 4th Quarter

The Word Wall in Ms. Collopy's room is standing extra credit. In order to earn extra credit, use the following words in meaningful sentences. Meaningful sentences demonstrate a true understanding of the definition and correct usage of the word. Sometimes, it is necessary to write more than one sentence in order to demonstrate this understanding. Each high-quality sentence is worth a possible two points. The maximum amount of extra credit awarded per quarter is 50 points.

Here are the words for the Word Wall:

• pseudonym
• fluctuate
• concurrent
• lucrative
• abound
• finale
• pliable
• indigence
• soluble
• affinity
• docile
• frugal
• desolate
• degenerate
• allegiance
• hoard
• aggregation
• underscore
• dexterity
• divulge
• gregarious
• unquenchable
• covet
• jeopardy
• influx
• sporadic
• affluent
• traverse
• capsize
• municipal

Thursday, April 15

Thursday, April 15

Typed final drafts of your research papers and works cited are due tomorrow!

Today:
Read all directions before getting started.

1. Create a new Word document for your works cited.
2. Change your font to Courier NOW! (it will help you later)
   
3. The words Works Cited should be centered at the top.
4. The entire document should be double spaced. Do not put extra space in between citations.
5. Works Cited Basics: Alphabetize your source cards; type your source cards into your Word document following these directions; type continuously (ONLY hit return in between source cards) and do all of the reverse indent formatting at the end; the auto-format feature will want to eliminate the < > symbols for your internet sites; type it in twice and you will over-ride this auto-format feature!
   
6. Do no format the reverse indent until you have typed in each entry. Complete reverse indent at the end. I will help you individually as this can be a little bit tricky.
7. Do not put a heading on the works cited page.
8. Be conscientious about all capitals, periods, commas, quotation marks, < >, etc.
9. When you are done typing your works cited page, continue typing, improving, and editing your body paragraphs...

- When I read your final draft, will I think you are an expert or just know the basics?
- When I read your final draft, will I think you worked on the writing process and fluency, or just stating information?

Formatting instructions for your final draft of the research paper and works cited:
- Look at the back page of the original packet that I gave you about the project about the heading and title.
- Font- 12 point font.
- Font type- Courier
- Insert page numbers if you know how.
- Double-space the entire document.
- Paragraphs should NOT have labels (for example, do not put the word "introduction" above the introduction).

April 13, 2010

April 13, 2010

Mac Lab Goals:
- Keep on typing your rough draft.

- Type your introduction, 3-4 body paragraphs, and conclusion.

- Use your topic sentence packet in order to write each topic sentence for your body paragraphs.

- Don't worry about most formatting, but by the end of class, do the following:

1. double space
2. type your name and class period at the top of the page
3. PRINT to the Mac Lab printer (MSLABHP4200) right at the end of the period and keep this draft for tomorrow.
4. No one will be allowed to print tomorrow, so even if you have two or three paragraphs, please print at the end of the period!

Monday, April 12- Working on Rough Drafts

Monday, April 12

Working on Rough Drafts

- Step 1- Read this entire blog post.

- Step 2- Open Word; if you have already created a document use that document; save early and often!

- Step 3- Start typing all of your paragraphs! Use your hand-written rough drafts and start typing your body paragraphs.

• Do not worry about any headings, format issues, font, titles, etc.
• We will follow a common format; you can always format your document last.

- Step 4- Use your topic sentence packet to start each body paragraph. Each body paragraph should start with a topic sentence from the topic sentence packet.

- Step 5- Follow your outline in order to organize what information is in each paragraph.

- Step 6- Use transitions to link ideas and paragraphs together.

- Step 7- If you want to work on typing/body paragraphs at home, you need to transport this document electronically back and forth between school and home. OR- I am more than happy to write passes for homework club for any students this week.

Ways to transport your document:

• - copy and paste in the body of an e-mail; work on it at home, then copy and paste it into Word at home and repeat to get it back to school
• - attach the Word document to an e-mail and work on it at home and school
• - use Google Docs
• - use a flash drive

Friday, April 9

Friday, April 9

Today:
- continue research; go deeper!; are you an expert about your disease OR have you just covered the basics?
OR
- start typing (and saving in your LA folder) your introduction and conclusion into a Word document
- don't worry about any formatting yet; these instructions will be given next week; you can always go back and re-format

This Weekend:
- continue to revise and edit your introduction and conclusion; share it with your parents
- work on your outline; this is your ticket into the MacLab on Monday, April 12

Next Week:
- typing, revising, and editing our research papers
- final draft of research paper with a works cited - due Friday, April 16!

Reliable Websites- Disease Research

March 31, 2010

- In addition to finishing yesterday's work, please complete the following task today.

1. Come up with a Top Ten Disease Research Website list.

2. You have two options of how to share this information.
- The best way is to post the list on your blog and use the "link" feature.
- You should title the blog post- Top Ten Disease Research Websites.
- Under each link to a reliable website, write a short description of why it seems like a good place to complete research.

Example:
Web MD
* This website is a great place to obtain general information about many health conditions. It has useful, up to date articles.

- If you can't get into your blog, complete this on a Word document.

Getting Ready to Write Research Papers

March 30, 2010

Today's Objectives:
- Practice basic computer skills and Word skills.
- Bookmark medical websites into your account using Google bookmarks or the Firefox/Safari book marks.
- Find examples of medical websites and start evaluating them for reliability.

Procedure:
- Read this entire post before starting today's tasks.
- First, open a blank Word document.
- Save it in your Language Arts folder. Name it - (your last name).docx, for example, Collopy.docx. Call Ms. Collopy over and prove to her that you have saved it in the correct folder.
- It's o.k. to help each other do this properly.
- Then, answer the following questions on the Word document in complete sentences.
1. What is a Works Cited or a Bibliography? Is there a difference between the two?
2. What is the best way to do internet research on a topic that you don't know very much about?
3. How do you know if a website is reliable and has correct information?
4. Why is it NOT acceptable to copy and paste information from a website into your own notes?
5. Why is Wikipedia considered unreliable in most academic areas?
6. What is the difference between closing an application and quitting out of an application? How do you quit out of an application? How do you close an application?

- After you answer those questions, complete the following formatting tasks:
(remember: View, then Formatting Palette to open the helpful formatting palette!)
(also, if you don't understand the icons on the Formatting Palette, you should hover your mouse/cursor over the icon and it will tell you what the icon means)
- number your answers using the bulleting and numbering feature.
- make the first word of each response bold
- make the last word of each response italicized
- put a proper heading at the top of the paper, but align it to the right
- put a title below the heading, but above the answers that says: Research Questions
- center that title
- select the whole text, by using Edit, then Select All or Open Apple/Command A
- make all of the text Courier font
- make all of the text 10 point font
- select the whole/entire text again and double space your whole document (using the formatting palette!)
- Have you saved your document lately? It is a good idea to use the File, then Save command or Open Apple/Command S and save what you are working on periodically.
- Print this document to the MacLab printer. Make sure it isn't being routed somewhere else. Look up to the chalkboard to make sure you have the correct printer name selected.

After you turn this document into Ms. Collopy, please complete the following task.

- Goal: Find ten different websites that would be appropriate for completing research about a disease.
- Once you find a website that you think looks reliable, scroll down toward the bottom and find the organization that maintains it.
- If you think you have found a good website, create a bookmark to keep track of it. Don't just bookmark the website, create a folder (name it Disease Research).
- Do you know how to use Google bookmarks? Feel free to try! These are more reliable and you can access them anywhere.
- You can also just use the bookmarks that Firefox provides.
- If you find ten websites before the end of class, just keep on going and find more! Websites can be specific to diseases if you want.



Direction Reading Bonus:
* If you are still reading this post, come get a post-it from Ms. Collopy and write your name on it for an extra credit bonus!

Word Wall as of February 10

Word Wall

The Word Wall in Ms. Collopy's room is standing extra credit. In order to earn extra credit, use the following words in meaningful sentences. Meaningful sentences demonstrate a true understanding of the definition and correct usage of the word. Sometimes, it is necessary to write more than one sentence in order to demonstrate this understanding. Each high-quality sentence is worth a possible two points. The maximum amount of extra credit awarded per quarter is 50 points.

Current List:

• inundate
• traverse
• municipal
• succulent
• fluctuate
• synchronize
• dilapidated
• divulge
• enigma
• voracious
• bipartisan
• gregarious
• adversary
• tenacious
• definitive
• bicameral
• maniacal
• degenerate
• cartographer
• antecedents
• invigorate
• formidable
• bulwark
• outlandish
• overwhelm

Intel Visual Ranking Project

Intel Log in for students HERE

Use Collopy as your teacher i.d.

Use the team name as your team name and password that Ms. Collopy gave you in class.

Scroll down to the topic that says "leadership qualities of a captain."

Follow the on-screen prompts and complete the ranking project. Make sure to hit save using the save icon.

Use the worksheet to complete this activity.

"Words to Live By"- Publishing on Your Blog

Tuesday, January 12

Goals & Objectives:
- To revise and edit your best paragraph onto your blog.

Procedure:
- Log into your edublog.
- www.edublogs.org
- re-read your paragraph before you post it (post in a new post - choose an appropriate title; "Words to Live By", Personal Narrative Essay Excerpt, etc.)
- preface your excerpt by saying something like this....
The following is an excerpt from my personal narrative essay about what is important in my life. I chose to include my second body paragraph for this blog post. Thanks for leaving comments.

- Publish your post.
- Use the links on the side of my blog to read and comment on others' posts.
- Typing should only take 20 minutes of class!

Tomorrow:
- Be ready to write your final draft as an in-class test.
- You must have blue or black ink for the final draft.
- Ask your parents/family for help tonight finishing revisions and editing.
- You will write your final draft and complete a self-evaluation.
- Refer to the earlier blog post (below) for some of the grading criteria.
- Handwriting will be graded on the final draft in addition to the other requirements.