Being Productive During Break

Great Moment

On Saturday night, Mr. Simas and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a performance by Paula Cole at The Center for Arts in Natick. Ms. Cole is an amazing vocalist and one of my idols. She is a poet, a seasoned performer, a gifted singer, and an example of an artist with longevity who does not conform to the shallow, soulless business practices of the music industry today.

We were 5th row, center. After the show, Ms. Cole graciously signed my program and took a picture with me. I discovered that not only is she an outstanding artist, she is also an extremely warm person. It's nice to not be disappointed by one of your heroes!

I hope that each of my students experiences a night like this where the audience and performer become one being while the walls and the stage melt away until there is only music.

Guests Beware...

Never leave your drink unattended at Mrs. Simas' house.

Author-at-a-Glance: Gary Soto

In class, we read the short story, "Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto. Using Mr. Soto's fabulous website, I would like you to fill in the blanks on your guided-notes sheet.

You can find Gary Soto's website here:

Gary Soto Site

To watch the video on the "What's Up" section, just click the big play button that's in the middle of the video box. It will automatically send you to the right place on Youtube.

The notes sheet should be in the classwork section of your binder! Happy surfin'!

How To Study Vocabulary

I googled "how to study vocabulary," and one of the links was this:

http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/~acody/vocabstudy.pdf

Might be useful.

Can you think of other ways to study vocab?

The Unfinished Angel

Sharon Creech has written a new novel called The Unfinished Angel! It looks pretty cool. I'm definitely putting it on my "to read" list. Might be a good choice for your in-class reading/dialectical journals.

Have you read anything else by Sharon Creech (other than Ruby Holler)? The only other one I've read is The Castle Corona, which was a really fun story. If you have read her other work, post here and let me know how it was.

Ropes Week!

It's the Blue Team's turn to go to the YMCA in North Attleboro for Ropes! I hope you all have a good time doing the activities and plunging from 40 feet. I will have a good time watching you make fools of yoursel... I mean... having a good time and learning a lot. ;-)

Learn Your Phrases!

Our first grammar topic of the year is phrases! You will need to know all about three types of phrases: the verb phrase, the infinitive phrase, and the prepositional phrase.

The Verb Phrase: This will be review for you! A verb phrase consists of one or more helping verbs and a main verb.

The Infinitive Phrase: For 7th grade, the infinitive phrase is super easy-peasy. It's just "to + verb." Examples: to write, to sing, to laugh, to sleep.

The Prepositional Phrase: You should remember these from last year! They start with a preposition and end with the nearest noun or pronoun.

What You Should Be Able to Identify
- Verbs (Action and Helping)
- Pronouns
- Nouns
- Prepositions

Those items are key!

Here are some interactive quizzes to help you:

Verb Phrase Quiz

Verb Phrase Quiz 2

Prepositional Phrases Quiz

Prepositional Phrases Quiz 2

How did you do?

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! This blog is for my seventh grade students and will be a place to find out about assignments, interactive quizzes, extra credit opportunities, news from the literary world, and anything else of interest.

If you want me to respond to a comment, please post one before 8 PM. I will read and respond to comments posted before this time. I will not check my blog after 8 PM.

I would love for you to show me that you checked out this blog by posting a comment. Make sure to put your name so that I know it is you!

Please enjoy!

Calling Last Year's Blue Team Students!

Don't know if any of you check this blog now that you're big 8th graders, but if you do, what team are you on this year?

Hope you're having a good summer! Can't believe it's almost over! =(

My New Baby

Sookie Simas at 9 weeks!

My Summer Plans

1. Take three professional development classes
2. Tutor some kids
3. Read
4. Write
5. Travel
6. See Rent in Boston starring Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp
7. See Tool in New Hampshire (!!!)
8. Learn new recipes
9. Exercise
10. Work in my yard
11. Nap
12. Spend time with my cats
13. Have fun with friends and family
14. Listen to a lot of good music
15. Keep the house clean/purchase more furniture

How about you?

Final Post of the School Year

Thank you all for a good year!

Final Grammar Exam

For the final grammar exam, I am not going to post quizzes. You can google any of the concepts (like "parts of speech," "direct object," etc.) and find quizzes and info yourself. Happy hunting!

Ode to the Cat by Pablo Neruda

The animals were imperfect,
long-tailed,
unfortunate in their heads.
Little by little they
put themselves together,
making themselves a landscape,
acquiring spots, grace, flight.
The cat,
only the cat,
appeared complete and proud:
he was born completely finished,
walking alone and knowing what he wanted.

Man wants to be fish or fowl,
the snake would like to have wings
the dog is a disoriented lion,
the engineer would like to be a poet,
the fly studies to be a swift,
the poet tries to imitate the fly,
but the cat
only wants to be a cat
and any cat is a cat
from his whiskers to his tail,
from his hopeful vision of a rat
to the real thing,
from the night to his golden eyes.

There is no entity
like him,
the moon and the flower
do not have such context:
he is just one thing
like the sun or the topaz,
and the elastic line of his contours
is firm and subtle like
the line of a ship's prow.
His yellow eyes
have just one
groove
to coin the gold of night time.

Oh little
emperor without a sphere of influence
conqueror without a country,
smallest living-room tiger, nuptial
sultan of the sky,
of the roof-tiles,
the wind of love
in the storm
you claim
when you pass
and place
four delicate feet
on the ground,
smelling,
distrusting
all that is terrestrial,
because everything
is too unclean
for the immaculate foot of the cat.

Oh independent wild beast
of the house
arrogant
vestige of the night,
lazy, gymnastic
and alien,
very deep cat,
secret policeman
of bedrooms,
insignia
of a
disappeared velvet,
surely there is no
enigma
in your manner,
perhaps you are not a mystery,
everyone knows of you
and you belong
to the least mysterious inhabitant,
perhaps everyone believes it,
everyone believes himself the owner,
proprietor,
uncle
of a cat,
companion,
colleague,
disciple
or friend
of his cat.

Not me.
I do not subscribe.
I do not know the cat.
I know it all, life and its archipelago,
the sea and the incalculable city,
botany,
the frenzies,
the plus and the minus of mathematics,
the volcanic frauds of the world,
the unreal shell of the crocodile,
the unknown kindness of the fireman,
the blue atavism of the priest,
but I cannot decipher a cat.
My reason slips on his indifference,
his eyes have golden numbers.

Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences

Simple Sentence: A sentence with a subject and verb that expresses a complete thought. Does NOT have any dependent clauses. Can have a compound subject or verb.


Ex. Mrs. Simas enjoys listening to music by A Perfect Circle.
Maynard James Keenan sings and writes lyrics for A Perfect Circle and Tool.

Sub - Mrs. Simas
Verb - enjoys
Complete thought - Yes!
Dependent Clauses - No!

Sub - Maynard James Keenan
Verb - sings, writes
Complete thought - Yes!
Dependent Clauses - No!


Compound Sentence: Two simple sentences that are combined with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) and a semi-colon or comma. Each simple sentence should have a sub and verb and express a complete thought. Thus, there should be a sub/verb on each side of the comma or semi-colon. No dependent clauses!

Ex. Maynard James Keenan is the lead singer of A Perfect Circle, and he lives in Arizona.

1st Simple Sentence: Maynard James Keenan is the lead singer of A Perfect Circle.
2nd Simple Sentence: He lives in Arizona.
Combined with the coordinating conjunction: and
Punctuation: comma
2 complete thoughts: Yes!
Dependent Clauses: No!


Complex Sentence: A simple sentence that has one or more dependent clauses attached to it.

Ex. A Perfect Circle created the song "3 Libras," which is Mrs. Simas' favorite.
Since the band is defunct, she will never get to see them in concert. =(

Simple Sentence: A Perfect Circle created the song "3 Libras."
Dependent Clause: which is Mrs. Simas' favorite


Simple Sentence: She will never get to see them in concert.
Dependent Clause: since the band is defunct


Here are some quizzes:

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/language_arts/goforgold/content_builder/dswmedia/g3c5/nadia.htm

http://itech.pjc.edu/writinglab/senpat.htm

http://www.epcc.edu/student/tutorial/Writingcenter/Handouts/sentencestructureandgrammar/sentencestructure/Quizzes/complexquiz.htm

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/language_arts/goforgold/content_builder/dswmedia/g5c28/nadia.htm

How did you do?

Independent and Dependent Clauses

One of our last grammar topics is independent and dependent clauses. The independent clause is a simple sentence. It has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete thought. A dependent clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a sentence. It does not express a complete thought. The dependent clause begins with a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun. If it comes first in the sentence, there needs to be a comma separating it from the independent clause (just like this sentence). No comma is needed if it comes after the independent clause (just like this sentence). Be careful, because some subordinate conjunctions can be prepositions. You need to make sure there is a verb in the group of words in order for it to be a clause and not a phrase!

Think of the independent clause as the mommy cat and the dependent clause as the kitten. The mommy cat can stand on her own (she's independent), but the kitten can't. The kitten is dependent and has to "stick with" the mommy. Likewise, the dependent clause needs to be attached to the independent clause in some way.

Check out this quiz to help you with this topic:

http://www.csus.edu/owl/index/sent/clause_quiz.htm

Lastly, can you write a sentence that uses a dependent clause??? Post it! I'll tell you if you're right or wrong!

The Labors of Heracles

Heracles (more commonly known by his Roman name, Hercules) is one of the heroes we are reading about during our Greek Hero mythology unit. Click on the link below in order to complete the note-taking sheet you were given in class. Don't forget to do the "sum-it-up" activity!

http://www.mythweb.com/hercules/index.html

Studying for the "Big One"

There is a big grammar exam on Friday (3/27). The exam will be on the following topics:

1) Simple Subject/Predicate
2) Complete Subject/Predicate
3) Direct/Indirect Objects
4) Predicate Noun/Adjective

Since I already posted quizzes for all of these topics, you just have to go into the archives of this blog to find those entries. There really aren't any more quizzes on the 'net yet. Good luck!

This Is How I Feel...

Predicate Nominatives & Predicate Adjectives

Predicate Nominatives and Predicate Adjectives are only found in sentences with linking verbs. (You remember linking verbs, right??? Of course, we do, Mrs. Simas!) The predicate nominative is the noun that identifies or explains the subject. It's linked to the subject with a linking verb. The predicate adjective is the adjective that describes the subject. It's linked to the subject with a linking verb. You will never find a PA/PN in a prep phrase or in a sentence with an action verb/verb phrase!

Here are some interactive quizzes to help you with this topic. Make sure you read the directions carefully and USE YOUR NOTES from class! If you get one wrong, and the site gives you an explanation, READ it and try to figure it out!

http://www.swsd.k12.pa.us/~brooke_hall/prednounsadj.htm

http://www.classwithahclaxton.com/predicatenominative.htm

http://www.classwithahclaxton.com/predicateadjective.htm

http://www.swsd.k12.pa.us/~brooke_hall/comp.htm

http://www.swsd.k12.pa.us/~brooke_hall/pnanddo.htm

http://www.swsd.k12.pa.us/~brooke_hall/directandindirect.htm

http://www.swsd.k12.pa.us/~brooke_hall/pnanddo.htm

How did you do?

Commas Are Cute!

Direct & Indirect Objects

Here are some sites that will help you to review direct and indirect objects. If you get one wrong, read WHY you got it wrong and try to understand it. Don't just move on to the next question!!! Make sure you have your notes and worksheets out in front of you. Look at the questions we use to find the DO and IO! There will be a quiz on this topic on Monday, March 9!

http://www.quia.com/quiz/639643.html

http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/grammar/direct_objects/quiz546.html

http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/quizshow.php?title=objects-direct-indirect&quesnum=1

http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/grammar/indirect_objects/quiz548.html


http://www.dailygrammar.com/106to110.shtml


http://www.dailygrammar.com/191to195.shtml

How did you do?

Learn More About Twain

Here is the official website of Mark Twain:

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/index.php

It's Tough To Be An ELA Teacher...

I often am frustrated by similar situations! There are grammatical errors everywhere, and it drives me batty!

Complete Subject/Complete Predicate Practice

Our new grammar concept is complete subject/complete predicate. The complete subject includes the simple subject and any modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, etc.) that describe it. The complete subject is what the sentence is about. The complete predicate includes the simple predicate (verb) and any modifiers that describe it. The complete predicate tells what the subject did or what the subject is.

Below are two links to sites that have interactive quizzes and other information. Please use them to help you study this challenging topic!

http://www.softschools.com/manage/themes/knowledgetest;jsessionid=auOXq-30Pikg

http://www.geocities.com/fifth_grade_tpes/quiz.html

If you still do not understand this concept, please see me for extra help after school!

Congratulations, Blue Team Spellers!

Felicitations to the following students for winning the Grade Seven Spelling Bee:

Emily L.
Emma M.
Emily C.
Liam H.
Nick L.

These super-spellers only missed ONE word during the entire competition and snagged the grand prize! Our triumphant team has scored TWO HUNDRED Stinger Points for the Blue Team! Way to go!

President Obama Must Have Aced ELA!

Here is an excerpt from President Obama's inauguration speech:

"Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms."

Who can tell me what the FOUR... count 'em... FOUR metaphors are in this passage?

This example demonstrates a practical use for the skills you learn about in ELA. Speech writers for politicians use all sorts of figurative language to enhance their pieces. It's also helpful for the general public to be educated in ELA so that they understand what the politicians are saying! I know my students would be able to understand the President. =)

Brush Up On Your Study Skills!

So many times students tell me that they don't know how to study. The amazing thing to me is that most students are computer literate, and there is something readily available to them to help them figure out how to study: it's called... drum roll please... the Internet.

When pondering the question, "How do I study?", how many of you have actually done a google search for "study tips" or "study skills"? I'd bet not many. So give it a shot... use your favorite search engine to look up study skills that apply to you.

I did just that, and here are some sites I found:

http://www.howtostudy.com/studtips.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/homework/studyskills4.html#before

http://www.howtodothings.com/education/a2964-how-to-improve-study-skills-in-middle-school.html

http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/CA/700/

Remember: you're in 7th grade now. You need to take responsibility for your own learning. That means asking questions and getting the answers you need. Please review these sites and feel free to post others that you find in your search! Happy studying!

See...Grammar IS Important!

Blue Team Spelling Bee Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the following Blue Team students for winning the spelling bee today:

Alex A.
Emily L.
Emily C.
Emma M.
Danielle C.

Alt 1. – Brittany C.
Alt. 2 – Liam H.
Alt. 3 - Nick Luth

These individuals will go on to compete in the 7th grade spelling bee on Friday, Jan. 23, 2009 from 7:35 - 8:15. Good luck and GO BLUE!

Don't forget to wear your team shirt that day! Show 'em we bleed Blue Team BLUE!

Settin' Up the Setting

The website ReadWriteThink.org has a list of novels with particularly strong settings. Check the QMS library or the Mansfield Public library to find them. If you decide to read one, I would love for you to post some details about the setting of the book! Also, if you know of a book that has a great setting, please post the title and author.

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
The American Girl Series by various authors
Angel Spreads her Wings by Judy Delton
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Circus in the Woods by William Littlefield
Crispin by Avi
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright
Holes by Louis Sachar
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
The Magic Tree House Mystery Series by Mary Pope Osborne
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Poppy by Avi
Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander
Time Warp Trio Series by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

Simple Subjects & Predicates Are Simple... Right?

In class we're working on finding the simple subject and the simple predicate in a sentence. Remember, the simple subject is a noun or pronoun. It will never be found within a prepositional phrase, and it can be compound. The simple predicate is the verb in the sentence. It can be a verb phrase or compound.

The following are some websites that contain quizzes and games on this concept! Give 'em a whirl!

http://www.quia.com/rr/36765.html

http://www.argo217.k12.il.us/departs/English/blettiere/simple_subject_quiz_01.htm

http://www.thatquiz.org/tq/previewtest?MROG4881

http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/rvsubj.html

So...how did you do?

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! This blog is for my seventh grade students and will be a place to find out about assignments, extra credit opportunities, news from the literary world, and anything else of interest. Please enjoy!