Mrs. Tefft's English Language Arts Web Page

Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School of Coventry 

15 Foster Drive

Coventry, RI 02816

 

Phone: 401-822-9426

“When I approach a child, he inspires me in two sentiments: tenderness for what he is and respect for what he may become.” Louis Pasteur 

email me:  katefft@cox.net

 June 18, 2008

 Hello Students and Parents,

 

By now, some of you may have heard that I will be going to the high school next year.  The job fair was held yesterday afternoon, and I bid into the position of guidance counselor at Coventry High School.  I will be responsible for sophomores and seniors (10th & 12th) for the 2008-2009 school year. 

 

While I am sad to leave the middle school students along with many of my friends and colleagues, I am very excited about this next phase of my career.  This was a difficult decision to make, but the guidance positions only come along once in a while...if you don't take it when you can, you may not get another opportunity for many years.  I hope all of you understand. 

 

I enjoyed working with each of you this past year and am proud of the progress so many of you have made.  I am looking forward to seeing you at the high school.  Best wishes to all of you.  Stay in touch.  Have a safe and fun-filled summer.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mrs. Tefft

Work that needs to be printed, please send to my school account  tefftkathleen@coventryschools.net

Weekly Update : Check out what is going on in ELA this week.

Click here to play this fun vocabulary game...it's for a good cause!

This game was just featured on the World News Tonight!

Example of a quote sandwich for the King Arthur assignment:  by Jen H.

Question:  What was Sir Belvidere's mood when he knew
King Arthur was leaving him? 

When Sir Belvidere knew Arthur was dying he became worried of what would occur in future battles and with the kingdom.  "Sir Belvidere cried, 'My lord Arthur, what will become of me?  You are leaving me alone among my enemies'" (Malory, pg. 92)  When Arthur was dying, I think Sir Belvidere was selfish for being worried about himself, and he took Arthur for granted all those times he protected him in battle.  Instead of thanking him for helping and caring for him, he seems to almost talk to Arthur as if Arthur is guilty for his own death.  In conclusion, I think Sir Belvidere was selfish and unsure of himself as Arthur was on his deathbed.

Let me break it down for you:

First sentence answers the question/prompt:

When Sir Belvidere knew Arthur was dying he became worried of what would occur in future battles and with the kingdom.

The focus is that he was worried...the quote should demonstrate this.

The quote should support the focus/question/prompt.  The quote is ALWAYS followed by the citation. (author, pg. #)

" 'Sir Belvidere cried, 'My lord Arthur, what will become of me?  You are leaving me alone among my enemies.' " (Malory, pg. 92)

The quote is followed by 2 to 3 sentences of elaboration.  The student voice should be obvious.  He/she should attempt to interpret or analyze a specific aspect of the text, in this case, the idea that Sir Belvidere was not only worried about himself, but selfish as well.  This student elaborates on her ideas and doesn't stop at just one sentence.  The elaboration following the quote is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE QUOTE SANDWICH.  This is where the student is able to demonstrate his/her understanding of the question and text. 

When Arthur was dying, I think Sir Belvidere was selfish for being worried about himself, and he took Arthur for granted all those times he protected him in battle.  Instead of thanking him for helping and caring for him, he seems to almost talk to Arthur as if Arthur is guilty for his own death.  In conclusion, I think Sir Belvidere was selfish and unsure of himself as Arthur was on his deathbed.

Hope this helps all of you!  Thanks to Jen for writing this exemplar!

 

King Arthur Links       

                                                                                                  

 The history of King Arthur & You Tube video

Clue to King Arthur Discovered   Interesting article

King Arthur the Legend

Arthur & Camelot   This has lots of cool links

                                 

Rubrics:    Narrative Writing      Conventions   Quote Sandwich

Dialogue Tags:  This slide show will provide you with some user friendly advice on how to write using dialogue in your stories.

Big Dog's MLA Quick Guide:  This site is a "Bare bones guide to English."

Writing Process:  Students, you can use this web site for lots of helpful information for all different genres of writing.

Dictionary/Thesaurus Help   

Apostrophe Video Guide:  Use this short video for a review on apostrophe rules.

Comma Rules:  This website is a good reference guide to the rules we have covered in class so far.