End of the Year Note

Each year, I craft this long and eloquent message that I intend to deliver to my students on the last day of school. Each year, either because of scheduling or lack of motivation, my end of the year message typically comes out--"Uh... yeah... so have a great summer. Bye." Heart-warming, I know.

So this year, I have decided just to jot down a few final thoughts. Not because I do not expect to see you all ever again (could I be so lucky!?), but because there are some things that I wish my middle school teachers had written down for me. Read it if you want; ignore it if you want.

Since August, we have spent anywhere from 8,100 minutes to 16,200 minutes together. How we did not end up annihilating one another is beyond me. In that amount of time, we have read as a young street rat and his gang proved to the world that they are more than just societal expectations; we have relived the horrors of 9/11 through videos and narratives; we have learned that "I" and "seen" should never be right beside each other; we have written some pretty terrible essays and learned how to express ourselves more clearly; we have campaigned ferociously for made-up political candidates and brought attention to social problems in the world; we have learned about millions of people who were killed for baseless reasons and have created personal connections with those who have died many years ago; we have confronted our own personal ignorance at times; we have learned that sarcasm can be spoken 24/7, but that sincerity is much more powerful; we have laughed with one another; we have been frustrated with one other; and we have been proud of one another.

A few things before you move on to high school:

1. Stick together--next year, you will be mixed with many unfamiliar (and some familiar) faces. It is an excellent time to create lasting relationships that will help you through high school and beyond. The people that I am closest with in my life are the friends that I made in high school. However, your classmates now are the ones who were with you during your awkward middle school years. They have watched as you have become full-blown teenagers. It is not always easy being friends with someone who is on the hormonal rollercoaster of a lifetime. If someone can be friends with you in middle school, you should keep them around for awhile.

2. Embrace a new start--if your friends kind of suck and bring you down, dump them. There are more options in high school. This may seem contradictory to what I said in #1, and that is because it is. You will not become a better person if you surround yourself with terrible people. Your friends may not understand why you are avoiding them in high school, but South is a big place. You can hide from them. Also, the teachers at South, for the most part, don't know you. Use that to your advantage. They do not know if you were the laziest person at Edison; become the hardest working high school student. The teachers do not know if you were the King/Queen Jerk of middle school. Become Mother Teresa at South. New beginnings do not happen very often in life; take full advantage of them when you can.

3.  No one can take your education--people can take your money, ruin your reputation, and steal your girlfriend. People cannot take your education. Put effort into your studies. Do not blow your GPA during your first year of high school--it isn't worth it. Also, college is not for everyone. Many important and brilliant people do not have college degrees, and yet they are still contributing to society.

4. Boys and girls-- gentlemen, remember that the girl that you are playing games with is someone's sister/daughter. Treat them correctly. Do not lead them on. Make them feel like royalty. Do not be jerks. Ladies, do not let boys play you. Your worth does not come from some guy. Also, do not play games with them. They act tough; they still get hurt. All of you, protect one another from the jerks of the world. Be quick to comfort someone with a broken heart, even if you tried to warn them (over and over and over and over...) Reputations, words, and your innocence are three things that can never be taken back; treat them with care.

5. There is someone who will ALWAYS be in your corner-- I play this cynical, sarcastic character in class and that is only because I am sarcastic and cynical; but I also care for each of you. I pray for you all. I brag about you all. I tell stories about you all. Never feel like you are stuck and have no one to turn to--you do. Never feel like there is no one who supports you--I do. I may not always understand your motivations or actions, but I can see your potential to do great things.

Do good things because there are enough people in the world who are unwilling to. Do a good thing daily even if it is beyond the parameters of "being cool."

Make me proud--you have done so on many, many occasions. Transcend the expectations that others place on you. I will always be someone who is proud of you.

Stay gold,
Mr. Spivy (Spivinator, Spivvy, Spiv-dog, whatever else you call me)

STAR Reading

STAR Reading

Username: 9600#
password: first letter of first and first letter of last

Bell-ringer

Bell-ringer: Create an original sentence for each of the words below. Your sentences should be creative, interesting, and at least ten words long.

1.     Resistless- adj. powerless

2.     Resplendent- adj. extremely bright

3.     Retch- v. to make efforts to vomit

4.     Revert- v. to return to a former state (not like Ohio, but like a state of being)

5.     Revoke- v. to take back

Project Reminders and Rubric

A few reminders about the project:

1. The project (note cards, rough draft, and final draft) is due on Friday at the beginning of class.
2. You should have ten note cards with at least three facts and an MLA citation on them.
3. Your rough draft should have editing and revision marks on them.
4. Your final draft should be typed, 12-point font, double-spaced, and include a works cited page.
5. Do NOT ask me to print off your essays during class on Friday.
6. You should have in-text citations throughout the paper. Give credit where it is due!
7. All periods, except for block, should have a five paragraph essay. Block should have an eight paragraph essay.


Mr. Spivy is available for help; contact him either through LiveGrades or using the Remind Texts.

Research Project

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Teacher Name: Mr. Spivy


Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY	10	9-7	6-4	3-1
Introduction	First paragraph has a "hook" or interesting beginning. It ends with a clear thesis.	First paragraph has a weak "hook". It ends with a clear thesis.	An interesting beginning was attempted but was confusing rather than catchy. The thesis is unclear.	No attempt was made to catch the reader\'s attention in the first paragraph. The thesis is unclear.
Organization	The essay is organized into five distinct parts with clear transitions.	The story is divided into five distinct parts, though the transitions are unclear.	The essay is not divided into the correct essays. The essay lacks much organization.	The essay is not organized at all.
Research	The essay concludes with a correct Works Cited Page and includes many in-text citations.	The essay includes a nearly correct Works Cited Page and include many in-text citations	The essay includes a nearly correct Works Cited Page and few in-text citations.	The Works Cited Page is incorrect; there are no in-text citations
Format	All formatting requirements (double-space, font size, dialogue, technical aspects) are met.	Most formatting requirements are met.	Half of the formatting requirements are met.	Little to no formatting requirements are met.
Grammar/ mechanics	There are no grammatical or mechanical errors in the story.	There are one to three grammatical/mechanical errors.	There are more than three grammatical/mechanical errors.	Grammatical and mechanical errors are innumerably, making the story difficult to read.

 

In-Text Citations and Works Cited Page

For your research project, you are required to include in-text citations and a works cited page(bibliography). In-text citations should appear throughout your essay. The works cited page will be the last page of your essay. Check out the links below to assist you in this endeavor. While skimming is more fun and exciting (and, really, just easier), I would suggest actually reading the information. After the spelling test tomorrow, we can discuss your essays at length.

In-text citations <==click here!

Works Cited Page<==click here! easybib.com will assist you in this process. Use it. It is your friend.

Research Project--Note cards

One of the assignments for your research project is to create ten note cards. These note cards should have the MLA citation at the top. To create your MLA Citation visit easybib.com and fill in the necessary information.

Below your MLA Citation, you need to include three facts, direct quotes, or statistics. These should be found within the website or source that you cited at the top of your card. When you are done, you should have 30 direct quotes, facts, and statistics.

Mystery Research Project

Link to project description

Mystery Research Project

During the next two weeks, you will be researching a true, unsolved mystery. These mysteries could be unsolved murders, unsolved disappearances, paranormal occurrences, historical mysteries, and mysterious creatures. You will be researching police reports, news reports, eye-witness testimony, and relevant evidence. Your focus should be on a particular mystery instead of a broad topic. For instance, you could research “Area 51” instead of “Aliens.” Each person in the class will be researching a different topic. A list of possible topics can be found here. You will be turning in an eight paragraph, typed essay, a rough draft with editing and revision markings, and 10 fact note cards. Your research project should have at least five reliable sources, one of which cannot be an online source. Check the blog for updates and further instructions. This will be due on Friday, May 29.

Note cards:

The note cards for your research should be a great way to help you organize your information and also assist in avoiding plagiarism. Here are some steps to help you get started!

   

1. At the top of the card, write down the MLA citation. There are many websites that will generate the citation with minimal effort.    

       

2.  Gather facts- As you gather your facts, type them into a new card.

               

• should NOT be written in complete sentences unless they are a direct quote

• should contain facts, quotes, or statistics

• should have an average of 3-4 facts on each card
  

3. Keep the note cards organized; you may divide a sheet of paper into four parts instead of using real note cards.

Research Project:

Eight (at least) written paragraphs, 5-7 sentences each

1. Thesis statement and introduction
2. Historical background of the topic (time period, location, first occurrence) Two paragraphs
3. Modern day research/evidence (eyewitness testimony, scientific data, suspects, police reports, etc.) Two paragraphs
4. Theories/explanations (what else could it be?) Two paragraphs
5.  Closure/proving of the thesis