Friday, October 31, 2008

Civilization Brainstorm

What are some characteristics of a civilization?

Be sure to explain and provide evidence for your answer. Your response should be at least a paragraph (5-7 sentence).

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Throwing a Tree

Throwing a Tree

New Forest

THE two executioners stalk along over the knolls,
Bearing two axes with heavy heads shining and wide,
And a long limp two-handled saw toothed for cutting great boles,
And so they approach the proud tree that bears the death-mark on its
side.

Jackets doffed they swing axes and chop away just above ground,
And the chips fly about and lie white on the moss and fallen
leaves;
Till a broad deep gash in the bark is hewn all the way round,
And one of them tries to hook upwards a rope, which at last he achieves.

The saw then begins, till the top of the tall giant shivers:
The shivers are seen to grow greater each cut than before:
They edge out the saw, tug the rope; but the tree only quivers,
And kneeling and sawing again, they step back to try pulling once
more.

Then, lastly, the living mast sways, further sways: with a shout
Job and Ike rush aside. Reached the end of its long staying powers
The tree crashes downward: it shakes all its neighbours through­
out,
And two hundred years’ steady growth has been ended in less than two
hours.
—Thomas Hardy



In “Throwing a Tree,” the poet uses personification, a literary device that uses human qualities to describe an object. Give at least two examples of personification used in the poem. Explain why each is an example of personification. Support your answer with important details from
the poem.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

6th grade

You have been a 6th grader in Academy 2 for almost a full quarter. On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your experience here so far?

Monday, October 20, 2008

Descriptive Language

Write a story about your pet, real or imaginary. What are some of the interesting things he does? What does he look like?

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

What if....

If a new student was to enter our classroom, what would you tell them about our rules, laptops, and our community?

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Learning with Laptops

How will learning with laptops change the way you learn?