In Class Writing

Great job, 7th graders. I enjoyed reading your opinions on the topics of Immigration, Illegal Aliens/Undocumented Workers, Amnesty, Border Security, and Deportation. I that you continue your research.

All papers will be reviewed and passed back. After a peer-review, you will rewrite your essays and include a plan of action for "solving" the issues.

I will discuss this in more depth tomorrow.

Again, congratulations on the last in class writing and keep up the great work!

In Class Writing Tomorrow!

IN CLASS WRITING ASSIGNMENT

TOMORROW

 

BE PREPARED

Do not forget to bring your research on the following topics:

• HISTORY OF AMERICA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH MEXICO
• INFORMATION ON MEXICAN MIGRANT WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES 
• BILINGUAL EDUCATION 
• BORDER SECURITY

STUDENTS,
YOU WILL HAVE ONE CLASS BLOCK TO ORGANIZE AND DRAFT A LETTER ON ONE OF THE TOPICS LISTED. THE LETTER WILL BE A PERSUASIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENT. DON'T FORGET,  YOU WILL HAVE TO SUPPORT YOUR OPINION WITH FACTS SO PLEASE BRING YOUR RESEARCH TO CLASS.

BON CHANCE!

MS. HUMPHRIES

Still Need Research?

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/ITFIAF/FactSheet_Spending.pdf

http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=407

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico/facts.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_4570829_mexican-migration.html

Homework

Hello 7th Grade,

This week is a busy one, so I thought I would post your homework responsibilities.


Xavier
Due Thursday 
* Grammar, Usage, Mechanics: Lessons 34 - 40 parts 1, 2, & 3
* The Circuit Worksheet


Due Friday 
* Word Wisdom
* Select one of the following to complete for research.

• Research on Mexico ( population, exports, language, food, notable events...) 
• Research on Mexicans in America 
• migrant workers in the United States 
• Research on Mexican immigration into the United States 
• population
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_American
• http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?id=679

Trinity

Due Thursday 
* Grammar, Usage, Mechanics: Lessons 37-38 part 3 AND lesson 39 part 1
* The Circuit Worksheet


Due Friday 
* Word Wisdom
* Research Article

• Write 5 things that you learned from the handout 

Mexico's illegals laws tougher than Arizona's - Washington Times

Mexico's illegals laws tougher than Arizona's - Washington Times

Ellis Island Immigration Museum

1. What is assimilation? 
2. Do you think America is a melting pot?
3. Define "enclave" 
4. What was the process for immigrants once they arrived to Ellis Island. 
5. What percent of the United States population came through Ellis Island? 
6. In what year did Ellis Island close? 
7. What year did it reopen? (You will have to do the math) 
8. How did America welcome the immigrants? Give examples. 
9. What services were provided? 
10. Why was it important to maintain records of the people who immigrate into the U.S.?

THE CIRCUIT: Chapter 6 The Christmas Gift

Vocabulary
• paisano – fellow countryman
• Que Dios los bendiga – God bless you
•Feliz Navidad – Merry Christmas

Questions

1. Where is the family? What are they picking?
2. What difficulties are they facing right now? How are they solving their problems?
3. Think about this Christmas story. How does it compare to your usual Christmas? Does it remind you of any Christmases in your life?
4.  In “The Christmas Gift”, the Jimenez family meets a couple that seems poorer than they are. Who helps this young couple? Were you surprised?
5.  What is the significance of the chapter title? (Think of all the gifts given and received in this chapter.)

THE CIRCUIT: Chapter 5 El Angel de Oro

Vocabulary
el Angel de Oro – the Angel of Gold
tonto – silly, stupid

Questions

1. Why does Panchito have cardboard inside his shoes?
2. What is the author trying to tell us by creating the picture of the goldfish swimming by himself in the bowl, and then the picture of Panchito discovering that Miguelito’s cabin is empty?
3. Who do you think the pretty goldfish represents in the story? Why?
4. Who do the little gray fish represent? Why?

THE CIRCUIT: Chapter 4, Miracle in Tent City

Vocabulary

• Torito – “Little Bull”, nickname for Juan Michael
•frijoles de la olla – plain fried beans in a pot
•el mal de ojo – the evil eye
•la curandera – a healer
•vamonos al hospital –we must go to the hospital.
•Santo Nino de Atocha – Holy child of Atocha

Questions

1. Where are they? What time of year is it? What are they picking?
2. Compare and contrast their current living conditions to what they thought it would be like in California.
3. Do you think this family is better or worse off than they were when they lived in Mexico? Why or why not?
4. What values and beliefs do this family have that we see strongly in this chapter?
5. What was the “miracle” in Tent City? Do you think that faith can help people endure hardship? In what ways?

Evil Eye Urban Legends 

THE CIRCUIT: Chapter 3, Inside Out

Vocabulary

•corridos – popular songs
•Como se dice ‘es tuyo’ en ingles? – How do you say ‘it’s yours’ in English?

Questions

1. Where are they? What time of year is it? What are they picking?
2. Compare Francisco’s first day of school to your memory of your first day? What are the similarities? Differences? 
3. Jimenez tells the story of the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly in this story. How does this relate to going to school for Francisco?
4. Why does the author name this chapter “Inside Out”? What does he mean by this?
5. Why has the author included this story in the book?

THE CIRCUIT: Chapter 2, Soledad

Vocabulary

• Soledad – solitude; being alone
•Carcachita – what they call their old jalopy, or car
•si - yes

Questions

1. Where are they? What are they picking?
2. What problems do they encounter?
3. What values do we see in this chapter that are important to this family?
4. Why do you think the author named this chapter “Soledad?” 
5. What connection is there between this word and what happens to Francisco in this chapter?
6. Why has the author included this memory in his book? What is he trying to tell his readers?

THE CIRCUIT: Chapter 1, Under the Wire

• Look at this Map! 

THE CIRCUIT

List the Family Members

Vocabulary

•la frontera – the US/Mexican border
• El Rancho Blanco – The White Ranch
•mi’jo – my son
•Cantinflas – a famous movie star from the past
•Dios le quiera – God wishes it
•Otra vez la burra al trigo – again the donkey in the wheat (you are being bothersome)
•Panchito – Little Francisco
•la migra – the immigration officials
•viejo/vieja – old man/old woman
•comal – metal skillet used over an open fire
•verdolagas – green fruit (wild)

Border: The line that officially separates two countries

Enroll: to register at a school

Farm Worker: A person hired to work on a farm

Feigned: Not real; fictitious

Foreman: The person in charge of a group of workers

Furrows: Narrow trenches in soil made by a plow

Jalopy: A rickety or battered old car

Labor Camp: A place where migrant farm workers dwell

Makeshift: Providing a temporary and usually crude substitute

Outskirts: The areas at the edge of town

Questions

1. Where did they start from? Where are they now? What problems did they encounter along the way?
2.Why is the family undertaking such a trip? Do you think they knew very much about where they were going? Why or why not?
3.Why does Roberto think that they are definitely in California when the train conductor drops off the package of fruit and candy?
4.How do you feel about this family now that you know they are illegal immigrants? Would it make a difference to you if they had crossed the border legally? Why or why not?
5.Author’s Purpose: Why did he include this memory? What is its significance to him?

Confessions: A poem by: Ava

BEAUTIFUL


Confessions: A poem by: Ava: I am I am what God says I am and I can be what God says i'll be. I'm the head and not the tail I'm above and not beneath I'm blessed c...

Peace Project

http://www.unartforpeace.org/9to12

Check it out!!

Weekend Homework

Students, 


Next we will write and complete the historical episode. Please complete the pre-writing by creating a story map. There is an example of the story map in the classroom and in your Strategies for Writers book. I can't wait to read your ideas. Don't forget to use facts and  BE CREATIVE! 


See you Monday! 

West Side Story Reflection - Classwork

Now that you have finished the famous musical, West Side Story, write a critical review.

In your review, you should answer the following questions:

1. What is the story about? 
2. Did it remind you of any other plays that you have seen or read? Explain. 
3. Who are the main characters? 
4. What did the main characters want? 
5. What happened to those characters? 
6. What about the play was interesting? 
7. Were there parts in the musical that you did not enjoy? Explain. 
8. Would you recommend this musical to friends and family?

Homework: Due Tuesday

Dear 7th graders,

You are going to write your own historical episode. A historical episode is a story written to portray real events from a specific time period. The story, however, may contain real and/or contrived characters. For homework tonight:

1. Select your time frame
2. Select a significant event from this time period
3. Select one real character and create an imaginary character 
4. Write the theme of your story

EXAMPLE:

Time Frame: September 2001
Significant Event: 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
Real Characters: President Bush, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
Fake Character: Abdul Hussein, LaMia Rogueson
Theme: Love and Frienship

If you are interested in this
Historical Fiction, examples.

Meet Senor Francisco Jimenez

What genre book is The Circuit?

What are Francisco Jimenez’s books about?

Where did he get inspiration for these books?

Why do migrant workers move frequently?

What is a contractista? 

What was the Bracero Program? 

What does bracero mean?

What was education like for the children of migrant workers?

Who was la migra?

Why was education so important for Mr. Jimenez?

Explain how butterflies inspired the author's love for reading and school.

How are butterflies a metaphor for adolescence?

Child Migrant Workers

Child migrant workers in Mexico miss out on... by UNICEF_Television

Love & Friendship (Extra Credit)

Today we enter into Theme 5, Love & Friendship. During this theme, we will read The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. This book is an autobiographical novel by Francisco Jiménez based in part on his journey from Mexico to the United States of America. The book, narrated by the child's point of view, follows the life of young Panchito and his family as they move from one location to another to harvest crops in the United States. The book has two sequels, Breaking Through and the third book in the collection, Reaching Out. The author translated the novel into Spanish under the title Cajas de Carton which was published by Houghton Mifflin.(Souce, Wikipedia) 

 

For extra credit:

Write a short response to the central question. 

CENTRAL QUESTION:

How can we welcome people into our school and community? You may use the movie (The Spy Next Door) to help you.

Aries

Happy belated birthday ( I know it was Monday) to Miss AM. Hope you enjoyed your Bday :)

What does it mean to be an Aries?
It means you are a boss, capable of achieving anything. Aries, you are special and your destiny is bright. Trust me, it is written in the stars.

Happy Birthday to all the fabulous Aries out there.

Learning to Pay Attention

Good evening Seventh Graders, 

I am back again- searching for help to a very important problem: paying attention in class. 

Currently, I am sitting in my Psychology of Children class, which btw I find extremely interesting, but I cannot pay attention. I continuously find myself zoning out or daydreaming. 

So what should I do? I will tell you what steps I take toward focusing myself in class. Maybe, you can share your tips with me.

Step One

• Sit in the Front
• I know that it can seem awkward sitting so close to the teacher, but sitting in the front of the class limits distractions. 

Step Two 

• Take Notes
• Whenever my teacher is talking, or writing on the board, I write down what I think is important. This helps me follow the classroom conversation. Also, I can use these notes later when I study. 

Step Three

• Ask Meaningful Questions
• I like class, and my teacher, but sometimes I get bored or confused. One way for me to stay engaged is to ask meaningful questions.Occasionally, I will look at my notes, and check for understanding. If I realize that I do not understand something, I ask for clarification. If the teacher is busy, I write down questions that I have and email her my questions after class. 

WELL, BREAK TIME IS OVER.

 FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR REPOST.

 I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS.

Homework

Word Wisdom- Test Tomorrow ! 

GUM - Lesson 28 

Roll of Thunder (chapter questions for 1-9)

Cheers To Life: Weekennnnnnd ! : ))

Cheers To Life: Weekennnnnnd ! : )): This weekend I am going with a lot of friends to the movies. The first movie I will be sure to see is Hunger Games. That book has inspired b...

HOMEWORK_ Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Chapter Questions)

Language Arts and Reading ( Trinity and Xavier ): Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Chapter Questions): On your blog, answer the following questions.  Responses should be written in complete sentences.  Chapter 1 • How are the African-Am...

STAR

Shine Bright

Shine Far

You're a Star

---

Where You Live 

Where You Are

Be A Star!!

Click here if you know you are a star!

We've got Spirit!

This weekend I had the privilege of watching the Angels cheer during the Rock n Roll Marathon, and it was incredible. Their spirit was infectious, and inspired many of the runners to Move Down the Course! Some of the runners even took the time to stop and commend the cheerleaders for their vibrant spirit, exciting cheers, and pristine uniforms. As the marathon progressed and the day grew warmer, many of the girls demonstrated remarkable stamina. Despite hunger, thirst, and arid temperatures, the cheerleaders remained steadfast in motivating the marathoners. 

GRRRRREAT!

'

While everyone worked really hard, I want to give a special shout out to the seventh graders . In my opinion (yes, I am a little biased because I teach them), they were exemplary! ** GREAT JOB ** (

Suite Life: Visit to the Circus

Ms. Furey's first circus!

Ms. Humphries do you want to join the conversation?

This is just so much fun!

I Love Luna