Final Message: survey, PTA fundraiser, and Summer Learning

I have emailed all of you a letter along with the summer learning information that I have also shared below . Please make sure you read that letter!

Please find below a few items to address:

Parents, please complete this school reopening survey by Friday, June 12th.

School ReOpen Committee Parent Survey https://forms.gle/DNx3eN8hcRpXsfSs5

I highly encourage those of you who need a mask possibly for the upcoming school year or just to wear around town, that you do so by supporting our Bryant PTA fundraiser. Everyone needs a Bryant Eagles Mask!! Orders will be accepted until this Thursday. Click on the link below and order yours today.

https://bryantmiddleschoolmasks.itemorder.com/

Bryant Summer Learning 

According to Johns Hopkins University, the effects of summer learning loss can result in nearly a three-month loss in grade-level equivalency in math and a two-month loss in grade-level equivalency in reading.  In order to close the summer learning loss gap in reading and math, middle school students will be  expected to complete Summer Learning before they return in the fall.  Teachers will grade the completed summer work when school opens in August.  Below are the literacy expectations by grade level.  Thank you so much for supporting your child’s development through summer learning.

Make sure to move your cursor left to right and right to left, to see the entire table!

GradeTeachers BlogsLink to Assignments
6th Bailey: Dailing: https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/dailing/Griffin:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1onwoP-9C9qP8WOafAvjyBEyZx0NfvOofvSj66VdegYw/edit?usp=sharing
7thBazzi: https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/bazzin1/Doner:https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/mrsdoner/Houry: https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/houryf/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aC83s0ZTJ_sJVsgDXMPsxHnTNFQ6RtC78rwf-KRU5kY/edit?usp=sharing
8th Corriveau:  https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/corriveausclass/Lessel:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B800yiD7olvhtxfwlWvTqFUaE-wh4eyktqTxL9UTzIM/edit?usp=sharing

Additional online resources for books:

Don’t have a novel at home, or running out of books to read?  Try some of these online platforms available to you for access to books, or use some of our favorite, cheap online book sites. If you have a Dearborn or Dearborn Heights library card you may get ebooks from them as well.

FREE online reading sources:

https://rivetedlit.com/?s=full+reads

www.esl-bits.net

https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

More free reading resources from your school librarian, Mrs. Harrison:

Week 7 Assignment- The LAST Assignment

Your week 7 assignment for the novel has been posted on Google Classroom. Please submit and complete by Friday, June 5 at 11:00 PM. Make sure your responses are clear and thorough. You will be finishing the novel and reading pages 137-154 on the PDF and pages 271-305 for the book.

This week your assignment will be submitted through Google Classroom AND Turnitin.com. Any paper not submitted into turnitin.com will not receive credit.

As we mentioned several times already, we have noted that some students are copying/cheating on their assignments. If you are caught cheating, you will not receive an alternate assignment or a chance to redo. You will receive a zero.

NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER MONDAY, JUNE 8th at 11 p.m. IF YOU HAVE MISSING WORK PLEASE GET IT BY JUNE 8th at 11 p.m.
NO REVISION OPPORTUNITY WILL BE PROVIDED EITHER.

Week 6 “Legend” Assignment

The assignment for week 6 has been posted on Google Classroom along with a video on Plagiarism. Please read pages 106-136 of the PDF or pages 205-270 of the book. Your assignment is due on Friday, May 29th at 11:00 pm. Make sure to follow the instructions given in providing thorough answers.  Note that points will be deducted for late work. 

We are posting the assignment without giving you individual access (in view mode only) because we want you to create a document to answer the questions without the questions being there.  Title your document Week 6 Legend .  So, we expect you to submit just the answers for  questions 1 & 2.  Please DO NOT REQUEST ACCESS – just respond to the questions in a new document to submit onto Google Classroom and then upload to turnitin.  

A few of you did not submit Week 4 and Week 5 homework onto Turnitin.com.  Note that you will not get credit if you don’t submit your assignments to both. 

Do not copy. Do not plagiarize. You will receive a zero for any plagiarized work. You will be able to complete an alternate assignment for 50% of the grade and no more than that.

Week 5 “Legend” Assignment

The assignment for week 5 has been posted on Google Classroom along with a video to support your learning. Please read pages 86-105 of the PDF or pages 163-204 for the book. Your assignment is due on Thursday, May 21st at 11:00 pm. Make sure to follow the instruction given in providing textual evidence for each response.You will also be receiving grades for week 4 assignments. We have noticed a lot of plagiarism and the sharing of answers over the last few weeks. If you copy or share your answers, you will receive a zero, your parents will be notified and you will be given a new assignment. If you are given a new assignment for cheating, you will not be able to receive full credit.

For week 5, you will be submitting your work on https://www.turnitin.com/ . Our Class ID is 24908671 and the Enrollment Key is Houryf2019. It will allow you to upload directly from Google Drive. FYI, your assignment will be compared to information on the internet and to all work submitted by any 7th grade ELA student worldwide. Do not copy. Do not plagiarize. You will receive a zero for any plagiarized work. You will be able to complete an alternate assignment for 50%.

Week 4 “Legend” Assignment

Your Week 4 “Legend” assignment for the novel has been posted onto Google Classroom. Read pages 73-85 of the pdf 133-160 of the novel (if you have a copy). Please complete by Friday, May 15 at 11 p.m. Please make sure to watch the video that was shared on there if you need a refresher on characterization. Make sure you answer thoroughly and provide 3 pieces of textual evidence to support your claim. You may use chapters 1 – 22 for your evidence for this assignment. Do not go beyond!

We have noticed a lot of kids are copying each other’s answers (Sharing answers) and plagiarism. Note that if you copy and share answers you will receive a zero on the assignment, your parents will be notified, and you will be given a different assignment. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE FULL CREDIT. THE MOST YOU CAN EARN IS 1/2 THE CREDIT.

Week 3 Legend Assignment

Hello students,

I hope you are taking the time to enjoy the sunshine!

The assignment for Week 3 has been posted on Google Classroom along with a video to support your learning. Please read pages 53-72 of the pdf or pages 90-132 of the book (if you have a copy).

Your assignment is due on Friday, May 8th at 11 p.m.

Make sure you follow the instructions given and provide textual evidence for each response.

You will also be receiving grades for week 2 assignment. If you need to improve your scores, make changes to the assignment and re-sbumit on Google Classroom.

Per the instructions of the district there will not be a Google Hangout scheduled.

Week 2 “Legend” Assignment

Your assignment for this week has been posted on Google Classroom along with a video to support your learning. Please read pages 34-52 of the PDF or pages 50-89 of the book, if you have it. Your assignment is due on Friday, May 1st at 11 p.m. Make sure to follow the instructions given in providing textual evidence for each of your responses.

Note that some of your week 1 assignments were sent back to you with suggestions as to how to improve them. Make those changes and resubmit as soon as possible.

“Legend” By Marie Lu Information & Schedule

“Legend” By Marie Lu Reading Schedule (8 Week Schedule)

Accessing the novel online:

A PDF version of the novel can be found at the below link for your reading: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sXPuYBzZT4auaEXpalds4pkoLht1QAsL/view

To access the audiobook follow the link on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3WT1yT2Rv8 or look up Legend by Marie Lu Audio.  However, note that the recording is out of order so you must scroll down the Youtube page to see the below and follow the order.  Start with 5:48:00. You must keep track of where you leave off with time:

blu wamazing1 year ago (edited)

5:48:00 – Page 1 then

3:32:25 – P 81 then

1:12:20 – p 174 then

0:00:00 – p 260 then

We suggest you follow along in the PDF as you are listening for better comprehension.  We also suggest you take notes. We will provide a double entry journal as a way to take notes if you would like to.  This will help you organize your thoughts but are not mandatory. This is for you only. Note down any questions you may have so that you can discuss with peers and teacher during Google Hangout sessions. 

Your final week assignment: (For the week of June 8 which is due June 10) your final assignment is to choose the 5 most powerful/impactful passages from the novel and explain what each means/reveals and why it is such a powerful passage in this novel.  Why did you pick this passage and what does it say to you? This could include imagery, passages that help develop characterization, plot, conflict, symbolism, etc. To make this assignment simpler for you, as you read, jot down those passages that you feel are VERY POWERFUL.  When you begin to work on this assignment in the last week, you will have collected all the passages.  

Weekly Assignments:  On a weekly basis,  you will be assigned a certain number of PDF pages to read and a corresponding assignment.  Some will entail short answer questions while others will be more extensive. We will provide clear instructions and examples of what we expect every Sunday.   Please note that we expect thorough responses with textual evidence and analysis. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEND YOU AN EMAIL ON SUNDAY OF EVERY WEEK AND UPDATE THE BLOG BUT YOU WILL COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENTS ON GOOGLE CLASSROOM AND SUBMIT WORK BY NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, 11 p.m. 

Google Hangouts:  On a weekly basis, your teacher will schedule a Monday Google Hangout Session so that s/he can discuss the reading and the weekly assignment.  On Thursday, a Google Hangout will be scheduled for those students who need additional support only. Please follow protocol when joining the chat. Microphones should be muted unless instructed otherwise by your teacher.  

Academic Honesty:  We expect you to uphold the highest level of integrity with your academic work.  You are to do your own work and present your own thinking. Note that plagarism (presenting the work of others as your own) will result in a zero.  Do not copy work from the internet, not even a phrase, from you friends, or allow anyone to copy your answers as their own.    

Reading & Assignment Schedule 

WeekPages to be ReadAssignment (Will be posted on Google Classroom to be completed and Submitted by Sunday of that week)
April 20, 2020PDF pages 9-33Short answer responses
April 27, 2020 PDF pages 34-52Constructive response 
May 4, 2020 PDF pages 53-72Short answer responses
May 11, 2020PDF pages 73-85 (up to End of Part 1)Constructive response 
May 18, 2020 PDF pages 86-105Short answer responses
May 25, 2020 PDF pages 106-127Constructive response 
June 1, 2020PDF pages 128-144Short answer responses  
June 8, 2020 (Assignment Due June 10th)PDF pages 145-154Choose the 5 most powerful/impactful passages from the novel and explain what each means/reveals and why it is such a powerful passage in this novel.  This could include imagery, passages that help develop characterization, plot, conflict, etc. An example will be provided when assignment is posted on Google Classroom. 

“Legend” is the first in a four-book series of dystopian* young adult novels by Marie Lu. The book was published in 2011 and explores the intersecting stories of two teens – June, a military prodigy, and Day, the country’s most wanted criminal – in a police state located in what was once the Western U.S.   

*A dystopia is a community or society that is undesirable or frightening. It is translated as “bad place” and is an antonym of utopia.  

For more information on the term, dystopia, refer to your NewsELA article from the week of April 13, 2020. Just click on the below link to access the NewsELA article:

https://newsela.com/read/ela-dystopian-novels-teens/id/55403/?collection_id=339&search_id=0ab6879a-523d-498d-9100-d9b9dbcf9468

“Legend” Information

Genre:

Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian

Setting and Context:

Los Angeles, California, Republic of America, Futuristic 

Narrator and Point of View:

Legend is told from two different points of view. The narration alternates between June and Day, our central characters.

Tone and Mood

Somber, thrilling, revolutionary

“Legend”  Character List

Day

An intelligent, agile fifteen-year-old criminal. He failed his Trial five years before, but escaped the lab where he was taken for testing. At the beginning of the novel, he lives on the streets with his friend Tess and steals to help his family and other poor people. Day’s real name is Daniel Altan Wing.

June Iparis

A fifteen-year-old prodigy who attends Drake University, the Republic’s most prestigious military training school. She is the only person ever to have achieved a perfect score on her Trial. At the beginning of Legend, she lives with her brother Metias, who has taken care of her since their parents died in a car accident. She looks forward to a career in the military. 

Tess

A thirteen-year-old orphan that Day took under his wing a few years before the start of the novel. She helps him scavenge and steal, but she is a better healer than she is a criminal.

John

Day’s nineteen-year-old brother. John works with the friction stoves in the neighborhood energy plant. He is the only member of Day’s family who knows that he is still alive.

Eden

Day’s nine-year-old brother, who has a knack for inventing. Eden falls ill with a mutated version of the plague.

Mom

Day’s courageous, resourceful mother.

Metias Iparis

June’s protective brother and a captain in the Republic. He keeps analog journals and photos out of deference to the old ways of his parents. 

Thomas

Metias’s disciplined, formal driver. 

Commander Jameson

Metias’s sadistic former commander. 

Ollie

June’s beloved, white shepherd dog.

Chian

A Republic official who administers the Trial. He was also Metias’s first mentor. 

Kaede

A flirtatious bartender and accomplished Skiz fighter. It is revealed later that she is a member of the Patriots.

The Elector Primo

The dictator of the Republic.

Anden

The Elector Primo’s handsome son. He is twenty years old and plans to run for his father’s position next year.

Emerson Adam Graham

A Colonies spy who is captured by the Republic.

Dorian

A student at Drake who has a crush on June.

Arisna Whitaker

The dean secretary of Drake University. She is constantly exasperated with June.

“Legend” Glossary

Ambidextrous

Able to use both hands

Baroque

From a 17th-century art form, a style characterized mostly by extravagance or opulence

Batalla

The military sector of Los Angeles

Con

A slang slur used by Day and others in Batalla in reference to the poor

Corset

A tight garment that women wear, usually under a dress, to smooth and alter their figure

Cousin

A term of endearment used to address someone you hold dear or a person who whose name you don’t know, someone you are trying to connect with

Cull

To remove, often violently

Goddy

A slang term that Day and other Lake sector citizens use – it seems to be a replacement for “goddamn” or other similar swear words

Gurney

A wheeled stretcher

Hilt

The handle of a sword or dagger

Impromptu

Unplanned

Induction

A formal ceremony that brings a person into a group

Iris

The colored part of the eye that surrounds the pupil

Laceration

A ragged wound

Lavish

Excessive

Levee

A barrier used to keep a river or lake from overflowing

Mercenary

A person who takes part in an armed conflict for personal gain, often money, rather than a cause

Mundane

Dull; everyday

Notes

The Republic’s currency

Obligatory

Mandatory; required

Patient Zero

The first person to be infected with a particular disease

Pendant 

A piece of jewelry that hangs from a chain worn around the neck

Pipette

A laboratory tool used to transfer liquid

Plague

A Diseases characterized by fever or delirium and sometimes infection of the lungs

Pragmatic

Practical

Prodigy/Prodigious

A person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities, unusually impressive.

Rebuke

To criticize sharply; reprimand

Repulsed

Disgusted

Siphon

To draw liquid from a one vessel into another using a tube

Skiz Fight

A street fight that onlookers bet on

Slew

A large number of something

Subdued

Quiet; depressed

Terse

Using few words

Trial

An exam that Republic children must take at age ten that determines the rest of their life

Trot

A slang word used by Day, similar to “jerk” with classist overtones

Wan

pale

ELA Google Hangout on Monday

Please note that we will have a Google Hangout on Monday, April 20th between 11:00-12:00. You will receive an email and a message here on the blog that will provide you with some instruction and give you your class hour’s slot. I look forward to seeing all of you.

On Sunday, April 19th, you will get an email and a blog post that will direct you to a video link and some documents you need for the next week of new learning. Please make sure you watch the video and look over all the documents before our Google Hangout on Monday.

Be safe,

7th Grade ELA Team

April 13, 2020 Update

April 13, 2020 

Dear Parents and Students, 

We hope all is going well with you and your families. We also hope you have had the opportunity to watch the video we shared with you from our Bryant staff.  If not, please make sure you visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG5Uj85zERA&feature=youtu.be.   We truly miss all of you and hope that things are going well.  Make sure you take the time to find the blessings around you and be thankful for the things you have.  

As we move into this 4th week of Remote Learning, we wanted to provide updates for this week and what to expect in the upcoming weeks.   

For this week, April 13th, students will complete Skill X on IXL with a required 80% Smart Score.  Their article on NewsELA for this week, The Appeal of Dystopian Novels for Teens,  will be a great lead into our 7th Grade novel, “Legend” by Marie Lu.  

We will begin reading, “Legend” by Marie Lu the week of the 20th and continue with it until the end of the school year.  We will provide a reading schedule, background information, and fundamental information for your success. Note that we will also provide an online PDF version of the novel along with a link to the audiobook on Youtube.    If you are interested in ordering the novel, you may do so; however, we are not sure if book stores will be able to fulfill many orders of the novel at this time. For that reason, you will all have access to the online version.  

Additional information on the novel and our plan will come your way on Monday, April 20th.  Please make sure that when you get that email, you read it thoroughly so as to avoid any confusion.  

Please feel free to reach out to us with questions and concerns.  

Be safe, 

7th Grade ELA Team