FREE VERSE
This is the form of poetry where you can do whatever you want! There are no rules! You don’t use regular patterns of rhythm or rhyme, don’t need lines of any particular length, or stanzas of a particular number of lines. This is both liberating and terrifying. Yes, you can do whatever you want…which means it can be hard to know where to start. But give it a try and enjoy the freedom of it!

Read passage and answer questions at the end of the text.

1.Come up with three questions of your own based on the book.
2.Did you like the book overall? Why or why not?

Read article and answer comprehension questions

This year I want to learn …
This year I want to get better at …
My goal(s) for the new year are …

Read article and answer questions on doc in a different color font or bold.

Creative Writing

Create a story inspired by one of the photos.
Story must be a minimum of 250 words

Pretend you are one of Santa’s elves. Write a journal entry about your day.

Personification means giving human traits, such as feelings and thoughts, to objects. Personify your Christmas tree. Write a story from the Christmas tree’s point of view.

Think about last Christmas. How was your life different then? How is it the same?

Pretend the president has passed a law banning Christmas. Write a letter to convince him that Christmas should not be banned.

Pretend that you can choose one gift that will be given to every child in the world. What gift do you choose? Why?

Pretend you have been given a baby reindeer to raise. Write about what you will do to take care of it. What challenges will you have to overcome?

How many Christmas gifts do you think a child your age should get? Why do you think so?

Create a new holiday tradition for your family. Write about what you would do and why it would be important.

Do you think it is better to be a kid or an adult at Christmastime? Tell why you think so.

Read article and answer question in a different color text

Read article and answer questions in different color text

Welcome back!

Describe 5 things you did over the break. What are 3 things you are grateful for. What are 2 things you wish you could change?

Read text and answer questions at the bottom of the page in a different color text and respond with a minimum of 5-7 sentences.

Read article and answer questions on google doc using a different color font.

Create your own paragraph at the bottom of page 7

Read passage and answer question with a minimum of one paragraph ( 5 to 7) sentences.

Read article and answer comprehension questions.

Read the article titled Pucker Up.

Answer the questions at the bottom of the article by writing a minimum of a 1 paragraph ( 5 to 7 sentences) response.

Read article and Answer questions.

Respond with a minimum of 1 paragraph ( 5 to 7 sentences).

Write a 250 word story inspired by the attached photo.
Here are a few sentence starters to help if you need. You do not have to use one from the list.

I didn’t mean to hurt her.
The air turned black all around me.
Icy fingers gripped my arm in the darkness.
Wandering through the graveyard it felt like something was watching me.
The eyes in the painting follow him down the corridor.
A shrill cry echoed in the mist
Icy wind slashed at his face and the rain danced its evil dance upon his head as he tried to get his bearings on the isolated beach.
Footsteps slowly creaked on every step of the stairs. The bedroom door handle turned slowly.
Death lurked in every door way with hell at one dark window.
My hair stood on end, a shiver raced down my spine and a lump came to my throat. It was him...
The gravestones stood silently, row upon row like soldiers long forgotten, a scream shattered the silence...
It was there and then it had gone, why would a rabbit be on my bathroom floor?

Write a minimum of a 1 paragraph ( 5 to 7 sentences) response. Please pick a different color text to write your response.

Provide a two to three sentence summary for each paragraph listed on the document.

How do social media platforms decide what shows up in your feed? Short response



Have you ever watched a baking video on TikTok or YouTube? If so, did your suggested video feed fill up with more baking videos?

2Start of paragraph 2 of 8 Those feeds are based on social media algorithms. Writer Jacob Brogan defines an algorithm as “a set of guidelines that describe how to perform a task.” Your favorite cookie recipe is a sort of algorithm. But the algorithms that power social media are even more powerful. They determine which content is pushed to users, according to business journalist Brent Barnhart. “Social networks prioritize which content a user sees in their feed first by the likelihood that they’ll actually want to see it,” he writes.

3Start of paragraph 3 of 8 This kind of prioritization is relatively new. In the early days of social media, platforms simply showed posts in the order they were created. But in recent years, social media platforms have learned how to keep users more engaged. They tailor feeds to individual interests.

4Start of paragraph 4 of 8 These algorithms are big business. Advertisers pay a lot of money to reach engaged users. Technology writer Catherine Wang says that algorithms on platforms like TikTok “learn” about users’ preferences over time. “If you click a dancing video, your feed would be customized to the entertainment category initially, then the following up mechanism will trace your behaviors for further analysis, which would eventually provide precise recommendations for you only,” she writes. This system works incredibly well. In 2019, researchers found that users spend an average of 52 minutes on TikTok each day.

5Start of paragraph 5 of 8 What behaviors do these algorithms consider? It depends on the platform. Many elements of these algorithms are secret. But in June 2020, TikTok published a blog post explaining some of the factors behind its “For You” tab. The content is based on the videos users like and accounts they follow. It also takes into account users’ captions, hashtags, language preferences and country setting.

6Start of paragraph 6 of 8 There’s a darker side to social media algorithms, too. Algorithms are designed only to keep you engaged. As a result, social media platforms don’t have much incentive to present you with the objective truth. Instead, they steer you toward attention-grabbing content. “Social media preys on the most primal parts of your brain. The algorithm maximizes your attention by hitting you repeatedly with content that triggers your strongest emotions — it aims to provoke, shock, and enrage,” said former Facebook employeeTim Kendall. That makes it hard to judge the accuracy of something you see on social media.

7Start of paragraph 7 of 8 People on social media tend to engage with content they agree with. That means algorithms present you with only a narrow range of views. They filter out different perspective. That can leave users in a social media “bubble,” explains psychologist Lisa Strohman to NBC News. “The reality is that all platforms now constantly feed us content that aligns with our own interests, friends and belief systems,” she says. “They are able to take what we browse or post about and feed us back our own thoughts gathered from other social media followers as though we have hundreds and thousands of friends feeling the same way.” That can cause us to overestimate the degree to which others agree with our own views, adds neuroscientist Don Vaughn.

What do you think? How do social media platforms decide what shows up in your feed?

Read article and answer question at the end with at least 1 paragraph ( 5 to 7 sentences).

Pick one of the five prompts to write about. Create a story with a minimum of 250 words

Color Inspiration
Choose a color, and let it be the guiding theme for your story, poem or scene. Think about the emotions, objects and settings that are associated with that color. Let the color run throughout your story in obvious and subtle ways.

Musical Interlude
Choose a song, or series of songs, without lyrics. Let the rhythm of the music be the inspiration for the form and content of your story. How do the different instruments become different characters or objects in your piece? How do breaks or pauses in the song impact the plot, or structure of your writing?

Picture It
Find an image in a magazine or an interesting postcard. Use the picture to inspire a piece of writing. How does the image resonate with you? What does it remind you of? If you're feeling particularly ambitious, find a series of unrelated images, and try writing the story that connects them.

Walk on the Creative Side
Take a walk around your neighborhood, and make note of interesting things you sense around you. What does the air smell like? What kinds of plants do you see? Who else is out walking around? Use the things you see to inspire your next piece of creative writing.

Create your own story.

Answer the questions in the last paragraph.

Read passage and answer question.

Passage
https://www.readworks.org/article/Radiation-What-You-Need-to-Know/632d4df8-f9d2-48b3-ac6d-9f9fc6e7023a#!questionsetsSection:2136/articleTab:content/

Questions
https://www.readworks.org/article/Radiation-What-You-Need-to-Know/632d4df8-f9d2-48b3-ac6d-9f9fc6e7023a#!questionsetsSection:2136/articleTab:questionsets/

Four Directions Writing Prompt:
Each of us express personality traits which relate not to individual, but group behaviors. Knowing these traits helps us to understand how preferences affect our group work. Choose the "direction" that most relates to you. (You may be a combination of these, but choose the one that predominantly describes you and write an explanation of why and one example of how).
Today's Writing Process Checklist:

STEP 1: Write down your ideas, opinion, and examples in response to the prompt without caring about grammar or quality of writing. Just put your thoughts down as they come to you.
STEP 2: Read over your words. Do nothing else. Just read what you wrote.
STEP 3: THEN Read it again and stop to fix or revise grammar, fragment and run on sentences.
STEP 4: Read what you have so far.
STEP 5: Highlight your writing and click Tools in the top left margin. Scroll down to word count. If you do not have 200 words or more, find areas in your writing where you can add more detail.
STEP 6: Read your revisions again and this time stop to change out words, (look up a thesaurus online and find more descriptive replacements words).
STEP 7: Read your writing out loud to yourself.
STEP 8: Fix any sentences that seem repetitive, confusing, or don't "sound right" when you hear it.

This revision process should take you the entire class period to finish.
***If I see that you turned your writing in early, we will have a one on one break out session to go over it together for improvements.

Click Turn In when you have completed all the steps listed above.

North: Acting- independent and assertive, you like to be decisive, try new things, and plunge in with both feet.
The North motto is: "Get the job done"
East: Speculating- detail- oriented and focused, you like to look at the big picture and the possibilities before acting.
The East motto is: "Do it right the first time"
South: Caring- kind and nurturing, you like to know that everyone's feelings have been taken into consideration and that their voices have been heard before acting.
The South motto is: "Build the best team"
West: Risk-taking- visionary and creative, you like to be innovative and free- spirited, often with a sense of humor.
The West motto is: "Expand your horizons".

Type Your Response Here:

Create two slides of someone (historical figure, athlete, actor, musician...) who has challenged the laws/rules (status quo) and as a result has changed society for the better.

On your first slide, you must provide and title of slide (must include name) and an image of of the individual.

On the second slide (two to three sentences), Identify the person again and provide a brief background of him/her. This should address birth - death (if applicable), place of origin , occupation and his/her significant, world-changing actions. Be sure to explain how these contributions have bettered our society. Also, be sure to explain why you've selected this person (an additional two to three sentences).

In a minimum two paragraphs (5-7 sentences) identify two people that you would like to have a meal with. The people selected may be dead or alive, family members, historical figures, celebrities, characters from literature, movies TV....Describe the appearance of the people, the environment, the meal and why you've selected those two individuals. Have fun developing your craft.