This week's news

I will be out of the classroom from Thursday 9/23 until Tuesday 9/28 (I'm getting married!) Please treat the substitute teacher with the same respect that I expect to be treated with. Students can expect the classroom environment to be "busisness as usual" while I am gone. The substitute has detailed plans to keep you moving through the quarter's lessons. Students will be held accountable for the content being taught during my four day absence. This should not be considered a week to slack off.

Students in 8th grade Writing class have been going through a descriptive writing boot camp of sorts in preparation for their newest essay assignment: A restaurant review. Students will act as reporters for the fictional "Sparks Star Newspaper." For the assignment, students can visit any restaurant in town. Report requirements:

Include a topic sentence telling me what you will be writing about, a descriptive body detailing the food, setting, service and cost and a concluding sentence that tells your opinion of the restaurant (did you like it? Would you recommend it to someone else?). Please dine in at the restaurant you choose, so that you can write about the atmosphere of that restaurant. Use sensory details to describe the place. Your report should be presented in a professional way. Give it a catchy title, use blue or black ink only if hand written and use 12 point Times New Roman font if typed. Double space in either case. Don't forget to include the reporter's name, date to be publisehd (due date) and the period number. A well-writeten, detailed report should be about 200 words in length (nearly a page long if typed)? Exceptional restaurant reviews might have the opportunity to be published in the junior high student newspaper, I want to see your best work! Reports are due October 5th (Tuesday, 2 weeks from today). This should give you plenty of  time to visit and review a restaurant. You will have your paper reviewed by one of your peers on Tuesday 10/5. It is not my intention if this assignment is a burden on your family, please come and talk to me if a restaurant visit in the next two weeks is not feasable, we can work something out. Email me with questions.

8th graders, remember your spelling test is Friday, you will be taking it with the substitute. The words are:

Acceptable

Calendar

Delicious

Savory

Atmosphere

Experience

Recommend

Sample

Restaurant

Choice

7th grade students: I have altered your book report due date from Tuesday 9/28 to Thursday 9/30. I will be out of the classroom from Thursday 9/23 until Tuesday 9/28, so please do not bring your report to turn in while I am gone to ensure that I do receieve it. 7th graders will be reading the screenplay of "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," an original Twilight Zone episode. Students will be tested on the text and the vocabulary words on Tuesday 9/28 with the substitute. The vocabulary words are:
Antagonism
Contorted
Defiant
Flustered
Incriminate
Intense
Legitimate
Optimistic
Persistent

Enjoy the play, have fun with it!