by George Eliot – (find out more about who George Eliot was)

If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard -
One glance most kind,
That fell like sunshine where it went -
Then you may count that day well spent.

But if, through all the livelong day,
You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay -
If, through it all
You’ve nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face -
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost -
Then count that day as worse than lost.

It Couldn’t Be Done

by Edgar A. Guest- find out more about the author

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it”;
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

Now it is your turn, write your own poem about graduating from the 8th grade and have it published in the 8th Grade Transition  Ceremony brochure!

The brainstorm sheet and rubric are posted for your reference.

rubric-speech.doc

graduation-speeches.doc

Make sure to put your name and your Advisory teacher’s name.

Thank you!

eagles-electives-reflection-sheet-quarter-4.doc

Please e-mail me your letter to susannah.muench@saschina.org

Use the following format to create your personal invitation to your parents for the 8^th transition ceremony.  You can add pictures or colors to make your invitation look nice.  Email to your teacher as an attachment for feedback.

Dear ___________,

Quote that is meaningful to you about what this year has meant.   (Cite your source)

Paragraph One:  Details

I am inviting you to attend my transition ceremony on …………

Time:  7:00

Date: June 10, 2008

Location:  Auditorium

Paragraph Two: 

Explain why this event is important to you and why you chose the quote above.

Love,

Paragraph Two: 

Explain why this event is important to you and why you chose the quote above. 

Love,

The welfare and the policeman
Said you’ve got to understand
We’ll give them what you can’t give
Teach them how to really live.
Teach them how to live they said
Humiliated them instead
Taught them that and taught them this
And others taught them prejudice.
You took the children away
The children away
Breaking their mothers heart
Tearing us all apart
Took them away

One dark day on Framingham
Come and didn’t give a damn
My mother cried go get their dad
He came running, fighting mad
Mother’s tears were falling down
Dad shaped up and stood his ground.
He said ‘You touch my kids and you fight me’
And they took us from our family.
Took us away
They took us away
Snatched from our mother’s breast
Said this was for the best
Took us away.

Told us what to do and say
Told us all the white man’s ways
Then they split us up again
And gave us gifts to ease the pain
Sent us off to foster homes
As we grew up we felt alone
Cause we were acting white
Yet feeling black

One sweet day all the children came back
The children come back
The children come back
Back where their hearts grow strong
Back where they all belong
The children came back
Said the children come back
The children come back
Back where they understand
Back to their mother’s land
The children come back

Back to their mother
Back to their father
Back to their sister
Back to their brother
Back to their people
Back to their land
All the children come back
The children come back
The children come back
Yes I came back.
[ Took The Children Away Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

We are beginning our final unit of Culture.  In this unit we will identify the general meaning of ‘culture’ by exploring definitions through literature, visuals and human behavior. We will also examine different the cultural universals and how these are shown in different societies and in our middle school here at SAS.  We will look at how cultures evolve through an analysis of a film: Rabbit Proof Fence.  We will end our unit with poetry where we will ask you to explore your own feelings and definition of culture.

Culture Wiki 

Culture is the way we dress, the way we carry our heads, the way we walk, the way we tie our ties — it is not only the fact of writing books or building houses.”
Aime Cesaire, Martiniquen writer, speaking to the World Congress of Black Writers and Artists in Paris [source: Petras and Petras]

What do you think of this quote? Do you agree with Aime Cesaire?

For tonight respond to the Rabbit Proof Fence preview video and answer the following questions on your blog.

Preview Reflection

Answer the following questions:

1. What do you expect the film to be about? Summarize the story of Rabbit Proof Fence in no more than 2 sentences.
2. What is your reaction to the knowledge that in 1930s Australia, children could be taken away from their parents? Explain.
3. Suggest one reason why the government might have done this.

Culture wiki

Preview Reflection

Answer the following questions:

1. What do you expect the film to be about? Summarize the story of Rabbit Proof Fence in no more than 2 sentences.
2. What is your reaction to the knowledge that in 1930s Australia, children could be taken away from their parents? Explain.
3. Suggest one reason why the government might have done this.

China Alive Wiki http://8chinalive.wikispaces.com/

and……….

HAVE FUN ON CHINA ALIVE!!!!

 http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/

The homework for this week is

1.  Be ready to present your novel presentations on Thursday

2.   Review your novel for the final exam next Tuesday, May 5th