6th grade BYOD Survey

Please fill out the following survey and click "submit" when completed.

If you don't have an email address, put "no email".

8th grade: My Personal Michigan Hero essay

For this essay, you will be asked to write about a person you consider to be a hero.

The essay must be:

• double-spaced
• no more than 500 words
• conventionally correct (grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation)
• organized in an essay format (intro, body, conclusion)

I am really going to focus on conventions this time around. The last essay many of you turned in did not appear to be proofread. Please use your editing checklist to look for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and usage issues before turning in your final draft. Final drafts will be due Monday, November 5th.

8th grade: BYOD survery

8th graders:

Please answer the following survey questions and click "submit" when completed.

2nd Quarter English Extra Credit: Participate in NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing month, is an entire month dedicated to writing your very own novel. November begins this month long endeavor and adults around the world participate in this program for the thrill of attempting to write a novel in only one month. But kids can participate in the Young Writer’s Program of NaNoWriMo and also write their own novels, too. For kids the word count is lower than the adult version, but there is still huge satisfaction in setting a goal and acheiving it. For kids who want to sign up and parents who want to know more, go to the following website:

NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program


Remember, this is a huge opportunity for extra credit in English for 2nd quarter.

If you're interested in doing this, please sign up on the website and then respond to this post with your user name.

Everyone's word count should be at least 10,000 words or more.

Leads from our group assignment

For those of you who were intrigued to read one or more of the books from the leads assignment we did the other day, here are the books:

1. Flush by Carl Hiaasen
2. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
3. Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
4. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
5. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
6. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
7. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
8. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
9. Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
10. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

8th grade: Life defining moment essay requirements

Think about a moment in your life that has shaped the person you are today: the birth of a sibling, the death of a grandparent, a disappointing loss at a championship sports game. Write about what caused that moment to be ingrained in the person that you are today.

Your rough draft is due Thursday, October 4th and your final draft is due Monday, October 8th.

Here is what you essay must include:

•  A proper heading – 5 points
•  An intriguing title– 5 points
•  Intro paragraph with a grabbing lead – 10 points
•  At least 3 body paragraphs – 30 points
• Concluding paragraph that resonates – 10 points
•  A genuine attempt to explore one moment in your life that has shaped the person you are today – 30 points
• Typed with an inviting font of no larger than 12 (preferably double-spaced) – 10 points
•  EXTRA CREDIT: Find a way to seamlessly incorporate a line from Robert Frost’s “The Road Not taken” into your essay – 10 points