Art Contest!!!

Air, Fire by Auguste Herbin

Grades: Everybody!
Points: 0.5 + super cool surprise prizes!


Have you seen the walls of the English classroom? They're all white and boring. That is why I would like to invite you to a super cool art contest to help us decide what we can paint on them. These are the rules:


1. Students must submit an art project for two of the walls in the room: the one with the door and the little window, and the one with the fans. 


2. All artwork must be an original creation of the student. The student must be able to reproduce the project on the walls of the classroom by himself/herself.


3. The art project will be submitted in a piece of paper, like the ones used for "Dibujo". Art submitted in a different format, like cartulina, cartón paja, etc. will not be accepted. 


4. The art project will be submitted with an alias, that is, a false name. This way the jury will be objective. It must be turned in a folder or envelope to Ms. Alexandra Yandin.


5. The art project must reflect one or the combination of more than one of these topics:

a) Our Bible verse for this year: Revelations 17:14b or our slogan, "Jesus, Lord and King"

b) Cultural encounter between Colombia and the United States of America.

c) The privilege of studying in Colegio Americano

d) Colombian biodiversity

e) The blessing that means being Colombian.

6. All art projects must be turned in by November 30. There will be no extensions under any circumstances.


7. The winner art project will be painted on the walls of the classroom. Participant students will also get an extra credit of 0.5 on any activity in English class.

God bless you and may He grant you lots of creativity!!

Learn a poem

Grades: 7th and 8th
Points: 1.0

Instructions:
Choose a poem from the poetry bank. Learn it and recite it for your teacher and classmates. Make sure you get the pronunciation right. 

Tell it your way

Grades: 7th and 8th
Points: 1.0

Instructions:
Choose a traditional story, like The Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood or Cinderella. Find a creative way to retell the story. You can rewrite it, make a poem, write a song, make a play, a comic strip or anything you can think of. If your way of expressing the story is particularly creative, you could get more points!

Process Log

Grades: 7th (2 weeks) and 8th (3 weeks)
Points: 3.0

Instructions:Select and carry out a process. It can be something like growing a plant, monitoring the weather, improving your physical condition, or anything else you can think of. You must follow the process during 2 weeks (3 if you are in 8th Grade).

Example:

Monday, October 31, 2011

Today, I worked out for thirty minutes. My heart rate is: 175. My breathing frequency is: 85. I did 20 sit-ups and 20 lunges. I feel I am getting very toned.  


If you have any questions, make sure to ask your teacher.

Bible Verse Memorization

Grades: 7th and 8th
Points: 0.1 for each correctly memorized verse

Instructions:
Memorize a verse from the Bible, in English. You must be able to explain what it means in Spanish

Song Analysis

Grades: 8th
Points: 1.0 (Writing), 1.5 (Oral). Total = 2.5

Instructions:Choose a song in English. Listen to it and write a 100 word paragraph in which you "explain" the song. Mention:

• What is this song about?
• Who wrote it, who sings it?
• Why do you like it?
• Any other interesting facts you might want to add.

For extra points, bring the song to class (remember to bring the equipment you need to play it or request it ahead of time) and explain the song to your partners, orally. You will also need to bring the lyrics to your classmates and enough photocopies for everyone. If you play a musical instrument and would like to perform, you may do it.

Verb Quiz

Grades: 7th (25 verbs) and 8th (50 verbs)

Points: 0.1 for each group of 5 correct verbs


Instructions: 
Your teacher will give you a list of verbs in the present tense. Look at the back of the book and learn the past tense of each verb. On your next class, the teacher will quiz you. 

Express yourself

Grades: 7th
Points: 0.5

Instructions:

Make an artistic project. It can be something you have already made for art class. Bring it to class and explain:

• How you made it
• What it makes you feel
• What other people think of it

You must be prepared to speak for at least 3 minutes. If you need inspiration, look on the internet or ask your art teacher. 


This webpage has interesting ideas: http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/

Creative Writing

Grades: 7th (100 words) and 8th (150 words)

Points: 2.0Instructions:

Select a topic from the Topic Bank. Research your information and write a composition related to the topic you chose. Use the part of the notebook called "Composition". 

Please write your own work. Compositions directly copied from the internet will not get any points and you will get a note in the Observador. Use your own words.

Show and tell

Grades: 7th (3 minutes) and 8th (5 minutes)
Points: 1.0


Instructions:

Choose an object that is special to you. It can be an object that has sentimental value. Prepare an oral presentation about this object. Why is it special? Where did you get it from? How long have you have it? Tell me that you are doing this presentation so I can assign a date. On the day I assign, bring the object and talk about it. In English (obviously). If you talk for less time than required, you will not get the full point.


Important note: you must memorize your presentation. You cannot read.


Here is an example of what a Show and Tell looks like: 

These children are learning English too!

How to earn extra points

The objective of this blog is to help you get extra points on your grades. At the top of each proposed activity, you will find the amount of points you will gain and the grade for which it is intended (remember I teach 7th and 8th Grades). You must carry out the activity in your English Notebook, in the section called "Class and Exercises" and present within one week of the date the activity you want to improve was handed back to you (debes presentarla en tu cuaderno de inglés en la sección "Class and Exercises" antes de que pase una semana de haber recibido de vuelta la actividad cuya nota deseas mejorar). Activities will not be received after that time, unless you have had a justifiable absence. 

If you think the activities are too hard and you are in 8th Grade, you may do the ones intended for 7th, but you will get half the points.

If you are in 7th Grade and want a more challenging activity, you may do the ones meant for 8th Grade and you will get twice as many points.

Work hard and have a great school year!

Welcome Eighth Graders!!

Welcome back to a new school year. I see many familiar faces in my classroom, as well as many new faces. It doesn't matter if you're old of new: each of you is a present the Lord sends me. This year we will have even more fun than last year, learning, sharing experiences and growing. It is my personal goal to prepare you fully for Ninth Grade and for life. I wish you success and enthusiasm so you can work very hard this year too.

Welcome Seventh Graders!!

Welcome to a new class, to a new teacher, to new partners and to many new beginnings. This year we will have many things to learn and discuss and many chances to grow and improve. My objective for you is that every item you learn, you learn thoroughly, understanding every aspect of it. My wish for you is to inspire you to be better students, better learners and better human beings. It will be my task to guide you in this learning process and to make sure that no student is left behind.  For this reason, I present to you this blog, full of activities to help your learning process and to help you improve your grades. Use it frequently and have fun!!!