To be a more literate person, you must immerse yourself in authentic reading and writing experiences. To that end the following tasks are required of 8th Grade Advanced ELA students.
1. Outside Reading: It is difficult to find time in class for everyone to read the scope of texts that make for a literate person, therefore you will be asked to read one book per nine weeks that you will choose from a list that accompanies the instructional theme. You may read at your own pace BUT should have enough of the book read by the end of each week to be able to talk about it. The sharing of ideas about your book will take place in class in various forms of assessments.
2. Blogging: This is a way for people to express themselves to a real-world audience. You are encouraged to find topics that appeal to you. You MAY NOT use this assignment or its tech tools as a topic. The key to a successful blog post is that people want to read it. That is your goal!! You should find ways to share your passions or ideas. If the post is a list of facts, then you have imitated a “Wikipedia” article. Blogging requires writer insight. If the post is a collection of opinions, then they need to be backed up by evidence. This can be anecdotal, or it might be facts, depending on the topic. You should format the blog post to encourage readership. A header photo, interesting title, correct grammar and spelling as all add to readability. ALL facts and images that you used MUST be cited. This can be as simple as creating a link to the source using in-text citations for facts within the article.
Blog will be written and published at fan.school.
Blogging Ideas for those who are stuck (These are a start; for some you will need to elaborate on the idea to give writer insight.)