MONDAY, AUG. 22: I have a great bunch this year, but class sizes are up
because funding is down. We'll do the best we can! We introduced everyone
and learned something unique about each of us.
HOMEWORK: Supplies are due Monday: a 1" binder just for English (unless
students prefer one large binder for all their classes); five dividers just
for English; a spiral notebook (70 pages is fine) or a journal; notebook
paper. Students who need help getting supplies can let me know, and I will
help.
TUESDAY, AUG. 23: We annotated half of my disclosure statement, taking
occasional breaks with a puzzle to wake their brains up. We will finish
tomorrow--it's too boring to do all in one day.
HOMEWORK: Supplies are due on Monday. See details above.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24: I sent internet agreements home to be signed and
returned tomorrow. We
HOMEWORK: Signed internet agreement is due tomorrow. Signed disclosure
statements are also due in first period, fifth, sixth, and seventh periods. I
will send them home with SECOND PERIOD TOMORROW.
THURSDAY, AUG 25: I collected internet and disclosure forms. We wrote
our first journal entry for five minutes of "fluency, non-stop" writing. The
title was: "What's on my mind?" It could be about anything they were thinking
about, such as friends, classes, family, weekend plans, fun, sports, lunch,
after-school plans, homework, food, money, clothes. . . . Are you worried,
excited, scared, angry, bored, tired, depressed, stressed, etc.? We had time
to share journals in most of our classes for extra credit.
FRIDAY, AUG 26: A substitute covered my classes, and the students worked
on "confused words," such as their, there, they're, etc.
HOMEWORK: None.
MONDAY, AUG. 29: I checked students' supplies, then reviewed the
Reading Record students will be using each week to record their 90 minutes of
reading books of their own choice. We also practiced for the names test on
Thursday, when students need to know the names of all the students in their
class.
HOMEWORK: Names test on Thursday. Get ready for school pictures on Wednesday.
The first Reading Record (90 minutes) is due Wednesday, September 7th. Find
something fun to read!
TUESDAY, AUG. 30: I explained two more things about the outside
reading records. 1. Parents have the final say about what books are
appropriate for their students to read. I do not approve or disapprove of
books because families have different attitudes and interests. 2. During each
term, students can read "alternative" materials for reading credit, such as
magazines, textbooks, newspapers, on-line articles, scriptures, graphic
novels, joke books, comics, etc. They may count reading aloud with their
families, reading aloud to younger siblings, books on tape, foreign movies
with English subtitles. It isn't 90 minutes of each of these; it is 90
minutes total of any of these. They still need to write a 90-word summary.
HOMEWORK: Wash your hair and brush your teeth for school pictures tomorrow.
Names test on Thursday. Reading Record is due September 7.
Students who did not complete the crossword puzzles over the weekend, need to
finish them tonight. They are due tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31: I gave preparation points for students who had
completed their two crossword puzzles. We were interrupted by school pictures
all day long, but we did as much as we could! We discussed issues concerning
the way we label ethnic groups and people of different intellectual abilities
as we learned about the author of "The Circuit."
HOMEWORK: Names test is tomorrow. Reading Record due September 7. Bring a
free reading book on Friday.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 1: Students took their names test. Then we talked about
why we celebrate Labor Day. Using photography from 1908 and old black and
white film, I showed them the kind of work children did in factories, then
discussed why working conditions have changed, and the struggle of Labor
Unions to protect workers.
HOMEWORK: Read. Bring a book tomorrow to read in class.
FRIDAY, Sept. 2: We went into the computer lab to update everyone's
passwords for a reading test next week. Then we just enjoyed reading in
lovely silence.
HOMEWORK: See above.
TUESDAY, Sept. 6: We read "The Circuit" together today after defining
and discussing the literary terms "tone" and "mood."
HOMEWORK: Reading Record is due tomorrow! We will be taking the Scholastic
Reading Inventory in class.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 7: Everyone turned in their Reading Records after
proofreading them for any punctuation and spelling mistakes. We took the
Scholastic Reading Inventory. Those who finished researched September 11th
and took notes on what they learned.
HOMEWORK: Start on your new Reading Record. It is only 60 minutes and is due
Monday, September 12.
THURSDAY, Sept. 8: A substitute covered my classes while I took my
journalism class to a yearbook workshop. She had students correct the
worksheet on easily mixed-up words that they completed when she was here last
time. Then they paired up randomly to create their own sentences using more
challenging words that are often confused with each other. Some students
presented their work to the class. She said everyone worked well together.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday. See details above.
FRIDAY, Sept. 9: Today was free reading day and most students remembered
to bring their books. I talked to them about "the reading zone," when kids
are transported by their books into new worlds; we watched a two minute video
of the introduction to "The Twilight Zone" to prepare our minds to enter "the
reading zone."
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday. 60 minutes, 60 words
MONDAY, Sept. 12: I collected Reading Records and then showed the kids
how to correct their spelling to bring their scores up, and we began
correcting one more worksheet, the crazy letter from camp.
HOMEWORK: Find a story of a story of a hero from September 11th and bring in
either a print-out of the story or a summary of it. This is due WEDNESDAY.
TUESDAY, Sept. 13: I know the kids are tired of it, but we finished
correcting a worksheet, finished our presentations about confusing words (as
in immigration, emigration). Tomorrow will be much more meaningful.
HOMEWORK: See Monday's info for what is due tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 14: We annotated our hero stories, marking important
information, unfamiliar words, questions, as well as writing down strong
feelings we had when we read our stories. I had students then think about
everything they knew about Sept. 11th and write down the ten facts they
thought were the most important to know, followed by five questions. We
shared a few facts that not everyone already knew.
HOMEWORK: Read for next Monday's Reading Record.
THURSDAY, Sept. 15: We had shorter classes because of an assembly
today. We discussed why it is so important to check the truth of facts and
then how studying both the facts and the "feelings" of history (as expressed
in stories, poetry, songs, letters, etc.) can help you understand September
11th and other historical events on a deeper level. We talked about the
powerful use of words in a poem written by the nephew of a heroic firefighter
who died and in a statement of resolve written by Pres. Bush, both documents
that help us understand the more human side of history.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday.
FRIDAY, Sept. 16: We enjoyed some quiet reading time amid the chaos of
BYU-Utah Day!
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday.
MONDAY, Sept. 19: We proofread and turned in Reading Records. After
talking about all the things words can do TO and FOR us (create feelings,
bring back memories, remind us of people and experiences,etc.) we wrote for
five minutes in our journals about our favorite words. We had a plethora
(two people's favorite word) of fun listening to some people share theirs
aloud. We then shared our "hero stories," underlined the most powerful words
in the stories, then started a word collection of other strong words.
We will use them tomorrow in our writing.
HOMEWORK: Read. I'll explain next week's reading record tomorrow.
TUESDAY, Sept. 20: I assigned a new Reading Record due Tuesday,
September 27. Instead of writing a summary, students will write 90 words in
response to the following: "Find some really wonderful words in the book you
are reading--words that are new, crazy, descriptive, unusual, powerfu, or
challenging. Write them down with a sentence or two telling why you chose
them and how the author used them." There is no set number of examples
required, but you have to write a total of 90 words.
We read a story about two men who took a woman out of her wheelchair
and carried her 68 stories down to save her life on Sept. 11. Then we chose
the strongest words and wrote a class poem about it.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due Tuesday, September 27. 90 minutes, 90 words.
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 21: We reviewed the requirements for the new Reading
Record, then had a writing workshop where the kids started writing their own
poems about their own hero stories. The rules for the poem are: 1. It has to
be at least 50 words but no more than 75. 2. It has to use at least twenty
different "powerful" words, either from their word "collection," a thesaurus,
the class poem, or their own heads. 3. It has to be arranged like a poem with
no more than six words on a line. 4. It CANNOT rhyme.
HOMEWORK: Finish and revise your poem. KEEP THE POEM YOU WROTE IN CLASS ON
NOTEBOOK PAPER. Either type or clearly hand write your poem on a piece of
plain paper, be creative with font (at least 12 point), spacing, line breaks,
colors. Part of the fun of poetry is arranging it on a page. Extra credit can
be earned by adding a visual element of some kind--drawing, clip art, or a
magazine photo. DUE TOMORROW, SEPT. 22.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26: We took a myaccess writing assessment in the
computer lab for the district.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due tomorrow. Se last week for details.
TUESDAY, September 27: We finished up our discussion of "The Circuit" and
handed in our notes. In most classes, we started a dictionary exercise which
will lead to a study of Latin and Greek rootes.
HOMEWORK: New Reading Record due Monday, October 3, 90 words, 90 minutes. You
can either write a summary or do Wonderful Words again. Everyone has to do
Wonderful Words at least once this term, but you can do it more than once.
WEDNESDAY, September 28: We continued with the dictionary, learned more
about phonetic spelling, parts of speech, definitions, etc.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday.
THURSDAY, September 29: I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather
and take a break from the dictionary. We went on a "creativity walk," looking
a things and using adjectives in new ways. It will tie into our next writing
assignment.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday.
FRIDAY, September 30: We had some delightful, inspiring, and
informative book talks about favorite books other students ought to try! Then
we read for awhile.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday.
MONDAY, October 3: We continued with our mapping of interesting words,
discovering surprising roots of words. The students turned in Reading
Records.
HOMEWORK: New Reading Record due Monday, October 10. 90 minutes of reading
are required, but NO WRITING is required. I still need title, author, genre,
rating, and parent's signature, but NO WRITING. Enjoy.
TUESDAY, October 4: We looked for four words in magazines that made us
wonder about them, cut them out and "mapped" them, writing down phonetic
spelling, defnition, context, related words with the same root, a sentence,
where the root came from and what it used to mean.
HOMEWORK: If you did not finish your word maps, finish at home. These are
due Thursday. You may use the internet or check out a dictionary from me.
WEDNESDAY, October 5: A sbustitute was here. Students took a
combination pre-test/review of prefixes and suffixes they need to know. They
also got started on a fun worksheet about phobias.
HOMEWORK: Word maps are due tomorrow.
THURSDAY, October 6: We turned in Word Maps, with students able to earn
extra credit for sharing a fun or surprising discovery about a word's root
meaning. We started to correct the prefix/suffix review, then quit so we
could play a game.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday. Bring a free reading book tomorrow.
FRIDAY, October 7: What marvelous book talks we had today! In some of
our classes, such interesting discussions followed the books that our time to
read was cut short. The students had such insightful questions and comments
that I just couldn't cut the discussions short. And in sixth period, two
students read their favorite children's book aloud to us. We loved it.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday.
MONDAY, October 10: I collected Reading Records and assigned a new
one. This week, students need to write about either the protagonist or
angagonist of their books and complete the following (in a total of 90 words
or more): 1. Write a physical description of the character. 2. Describe the
character's personality. 3. Answer this questions: Would you want this
character as a close friend or family member? Why or why not?
We generated a wonderful list of verbs that some people "do" to change
the world, such as explore, invent, persuade, innovate, discover, etc. Then
we wrote a journal entry, "How would you change the world?" Some students
shared their ambitious and compassionate ideas.
HOMEWORK: Read for next Monday. 90 minutes, 90 words.
TUESDAY, October 11: We went over the similarities and differences
between summarizing and paraphrasing. We talked about all the places people
speak, write, and listen to summaries. We started working with partners to
transform information from our history textbook into a news broadcast.
HOMEWORK: Read.
WEDNESDAY, October 12: We watched a current news story from Channel One
(about the latest research on bullying) and compared the kind of summary it
was with the kind we read in a history textbook. Students continued to work
on their "breaking news" stories.
HOMEWORK: None.
THURSDAY, October 13; We finished writing our "news broadcasts" and then
I gave them an opportunity to read some information that was not included in
their history textbooks. We discussed whether it is information kids should
know about. Why or why not? I was impressed with the depth of their
thinking.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday. I will only see sixth and seventh periods tomorrow.
MONDAY, October 17: We turned in Reading Records, then wrote in our
journals about Cameron White's visit last Friday and the cyber-bullying
presentation. We finished up our Columbus new stories and a few groups
presented theirs to the class.
HOMEWORK: None.
TUESDAY, October 18: We shared a few more very creative news
broadcasts,reviewed six prefixes/suffixes, wrote in our journals about three
wishes (one of which had to be for someone else, and wrote predictions about
a play we will read in class tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: ALL LATE, MAKE-UP, AND CORRECTED WORK IS DUE NEXT TUESDAY, OCTOBER
25. ANY EXTRA-CREDIT READING IS ALSO DUE TUESDAY.
WEDNESDAY, October 19: We read the play "The Monkey's Paw" together with
some fine dramatic performances.
HOMEWORK: ALL LATE, MAKE-UP, AND CORRECTED WORK IS DUE NEXT TUESDAY, OCTOBER
25. ANY EXTRA-CREDIT READING IS ALSO DUE TUESDAY.
MONDAY, October 24: We followed up the play with a short discussion.
Students went back to their journals about three wishes and chose one that
could "backfire" like the wishes in the play. We may not want what we think
we do! We started an activity focused on "visualizing" as we read, an
important reading comprehension strategy.
HOMEWORK: HOMEWORK: ALL LATE, MAKE-UP, AND CORRECTED WORK IS DUE NEXT
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25. ANY EXTRA-CREDIT READING IS ALSO DUE TUESDAY.
TUESDAY, October 25: We finished reading the story about the rescue at
Snowbird ski resort, stopping to really picture what was happening and then
draw what we saw. Amazing story!
HOMEWORK: None.
WEDNESDAY, October 26: We wrapped up the visualizing experience with
our dramatic rescue story and handed in the sketches. We had just enough
time to start a video about Edgar Allan Poe.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record is due Wednesday, November 2. Read 90 minutes but
instead of writing, draw six sketches with a short caption. You may read up
to 45 extra minutes for extra credit (three more sketches) or make your
drawings more elaborate for extra credit. ENJOY! It's both fun AND good
for your brains.
MONDAY, October 31: We entered Miss Hull's dungeon today and listened
to her frightening and TRUE ghost stories. We'll get back to work tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: Read for Reading Record due on Wednesday. See details last week.
TUESDAY, November 1: We discussed the DRSL rubric that outlines the
kinds of thinking we should be able to do and how it is demonstrated on a
scale of 1 to 4. Students find this stuff pretty boring, so we are going to
add some of their creativity. Some level of critical thinking is required in
every school subject, every real-life activity, and every career. (See the
homework assignment below!)
We watched an episode of "Twilight Zone" called "The Eye of the Beholder,"
which we will tie in to Poe tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due tomorrow. See details last week.
Due Thursday: Choose ONE kind of critical thinking on your rubric and ONE
level of competency. Then choose a school subject OR a real-life activity OR
a career. Write an outline of how you could demonstrate to the class (in a
creative way) what that kind and level of critical thinking would "look like"
in a certain subject, activity, or career. This is due Thursday. It's
something I've never tried before (I'd never met a DRSL before this year), so
I will help explain this to the kids better tomorrow. We may need to extend
the deadline.
WEDNESDAY, November 2: I collected Reading Records and then discussed
the DRSL assignment from yesterday. The deadline has been changed to next
Tuesday, November 8th. We talked more about the three kinds of thinking and
the different levels, tying them into careers kids are interested in. I will
show them another example tomorrow.
We finished Twilight Zone and wrote a journal entry about "Beauty," all kinds
of things that kids think are beautiful, cool, attractive, awesome, etc.
HOMEWORK: None.
THURSDAY, November 3: Every student shared one thing they chose to
write about in their journals yesterday, and then I presented a DRSL show and
tell about an incredible device my son's physical therapist invented
to "save" his hand.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due Wednesday, November 9th. 90 words, 90 minutes.
You may write a summmary, find wonderful words, or analyze a character.
Bring a free reading book tomorrow.
MONDAY, November 7: We reviewed the DRSL assignment for tomorrow with
more real-life examples. Then we watched more of the Poe documentary video
and applied the kids' knowledge of text to self, text to text, and text to
world connections.
HOMEWORK: Choose a career, a life skill, a hobby, or a school subject.
Choose one kind of critical thinking (organization, evaluation, creativity)
and one level of that thinking ("1" is the lowest, "4" is the highest) and
describe what a person who used that kind of thinking at that level would do
in the career or hobby that you chose. Just have some fun with this. We will
work out any remaining confusion tomorrow.
Reading Record is due Wednesday. See last week for details.
TUESDAY, November 8: We handed in the DRSL assignments-- I saw lots of
creativity and good thinking as I looked through them. We finished making our
connections to Poe and went a bit deeper in our thinking.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due tomorrow. 90 words, 90 minutes. You may write a
summary, find wonderful words, or analyze a character.
MONDAY, November 21: I'M BACK! The kids were great, the subs got them
to do quite a bit of writing, and we're putting all the pieces back together.
Today we worked more on our proofreading marks and spelling, then talked
about the Thanksgiving homework.
HOMEWORK: A reading record is due tomorrow. Read 90 minutes, but just get a
signature. NO WRITING REQUIRED.
Over the Thanksgiving break, choose someone in your family who is at least
ten years older than you are. Have them choose something they consider
a "treasure" or a favorite possession. Ask them the following questions and
write down their answers:
1. Why is it a treasure?
2. Where did it come from?
3. How long have you had it?
4. Would you give or sell it to someone? If so, who and why?
5. Does it have a monetary value?
6. Is that why you treasure it or are there other reasons?
7. Who or what do you associate it with? What memory or memories does it
bring back.
Write down a little about the person's facial expression, voice, and how she
or she uses his/her hands while telling the story.
This is due on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29. If you would rather interview a
realative who lives out of town, you may interview him/her on the phone.
TUESDAY, November 22: I collected Reading Records. We finished up and
handed in our proofreading paragraphs. We had fun with finding hidden
pictures and tied them into a old Chinese folk tale called "May Be."
HOMEWORK: Don't forget your Thanksgiving interview. See details above. Look
for hidden blessings!
MONDAY, November 28: We were required to take another Scholastic
Reading Inventory test today to check progress.
HOMEWORK: Your notes from your interview are due tomorrow. Check last
Monday's entry if you need to see the questions you are supposed to ask.
TUESDAY, November 29: I assigned a new Reading Record, "Making
Connections." Students are to do the same kind of thinking we did about Poe
but with their own books. Using text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world
connections, they can do ONE of these three things: 1. Make a list of
connections. 2. Explain a smaller number of connections with "because. . . ."
3. Write a paragraph about how one particular connection helps them
understand someone or something better. I passed lots of papers back as well
as grade print-outs for mid-terms. We had just a few minutes to write about
our Thanksgiving interviews.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due Monday, December 5, 90 minutes, 90 words. See
details above.
WEDNESDAY, November 29: We reviewed a sheet of challenging vocabulary
words used in "The Tell-Tale Heart," which we are reading tomorrow. Students
had to teach the words to each other with a creative way to remember the
definition.
HOMEWORK: Read for next Monday. See details above.
THURSDAY, December 1: We continued having students teach other some
awesome vocabulary words.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday. Bring a free reading book tomorrow. If you can
stay after school for an hour next Wednesday, December 7, to help tie
blankets for Woodrow Wilson, you will earn 30 extra credit points!
FRIDAY, December 2: We had some audacious and sagacious book talks
today and then read silently as everyone refrained from whispering, thereby
creating a profound silence. Recognize any words we studied this week?
MONDAY, December 5: We turned in our "connections" Reading Records and
then finally finished our Poe vocabulary sheets. I handed out lots of graded
work, and students added spelling words to their lists.
HOMEWORK: If you have more than 25 words on your spelling sheet, put a mark
by the 25 you want to be tested on. Tonight's assignment is to FILL IN THE
RIGHT HAND COLUMN, "Spelling Rule or Tip," so you have a way to remember how
to spell the word correctly from now on. You need to fill it in for EVERY
WORD you are going to be tested on.
New Reading Record is due Monday, December 12. 90 words, 90 minutes. You can
write about it however you choose: summary, wonderful words, character, or
connections. I told those students who wrote about their books on November
22 (when all they needed was a signature ) that they didn't have to write
anything. They can just read and get a parent's signature.
TUESDAY, December 6: We started writing about our Thanksgiving
interviews, but no one really finished. The requirements are to write as if
the "treasure" is telling the story, 250 words or more, three words from each
section of the the pink list of "Words to Spice up Your Writing" (you need to
use only two colors), and you can't reveal what object you are until the last
line.
HOMEWORK: Just read.
WEDNESDAY, December 7: I had substitute who had the students continue
to work on their writing project and then study the Poe Vocabulary sheet for
a quiz tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: Quiz on the definitions of the Poe vocabulary words tomorrow.
THURSDAY, December 8: We took a short quiz on only five of Poe's
awesome words, then started listening to a well-read version of "The Tell-
Tale Heart."
HOMEWORK: Bring a free reading book tomorrow. Read for Monday.
MONDAY, December 19: We worked in the computer lab, finishing up our
myaccess essays, our interview stories, and our personal possession writing.
None of this needs to be finished at home right now.
HOMEWORK: None.
TUESDAY, December 20: We wrote in our journals, "If it hadn't been for
___________ (name of a person), I never would have gotten through ___________
(a challenge). Several shared their thoughtful writing. We tied it into the
spirit of the season--reaching out to others. In some classes I had time to
read a story, but not in others.
HOMEWORK: None.
TUESDAY, January 3: We reviewed expectations for finishing up the
short pieces about a personal treasure and the treasure belonging to someone
else. We also talked about myaccess. We worked again on writing
outstanding "first" sentences. We also started to evaluate the way we begin
our sentences to see if we repeat to many of the same words.
HOMEWORK: Due Friday--your myaccess essay with all the changes and colored
notation that we will work on in class. You don't have to go to the myaccess
program at home and make any of your changes.
Due Tuesday--typed copies of BOTH "treasure" stories. For the personal
treasure piece, I will be grading heavily on the first sentence to see it
pulls me into the story. On the story based on the interview, words from
the pink sheet need to be highlighted (there should be at least 20), it needs
to be at least 250 words long, and it cannot begin with the word "I". If you
cannot type it, email it to me or copy it over in ink in your best
handwriting.
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY: We continued to revise and perfect our myaccess
essays, marking our sentence beginnings, our sensory imagery, our thoughts
and feelings. Except for those students who had such a difficult time
printing their essays, we handed in all the marked copies on Friday.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due Monday. See details above. Two typed "treasure"
stories are due Tuesday.
MONDAY, January 9: We turned in Reading Records, then took time to
listen to a partner read their myaccess essays aloud. Students wrote down
two compliments and one suggestion for every essay they read. We had time to
read a few aloud to the whole class in some periods.
HOMEWORK: Typed treasure stories. See details above.
TUESDAY, January 10: Everyone evaluated their treasure stories, then
turned them in. We are wrapping up our review of capitalization rules.
HOMEWORK: None. Hooray!
WEDNESDAY, January 11: We had fun creating stories using a variety of
capitalization rules. We will have a contest tomorrow to see who the next
Dr. Seuss will be.
HOMEWORK: None.
TERM 3: TUESDAY, January 17: We had a DRSL lesson in first period. We
filled out information cards with interesting questions. Then I had the
students write down everything they could remember learning during first
semester that improved: 1. their writing; 2. their reading and/or
understanding of literature; 3. their speaking; 4. their listening; 5. their
thinking.
HOMEWORK: Students who transferred into my class from Ms. Clay need to bring
a 1" binder ( I have several), five dividers, a spiral notebook (70 pages, no
dividers); and notebook paper for an English binder to be kept in our
classroom.
WEDNESDAY, January 18: We had to review a few more things for the new
semester. First, we started a new practice of having self-starters as soon
as the bell rings. I call them dendrite builders, and I talked to the kids
about how important it is to work their brains and try challenging things
to "grow" their brains. Some of my smart kids are actually shrinking their
brains because they don't even try. We also reviewed my Disclosure Statement.
HOMEWORK: Disclosure statement is due Friday. Supplies for the class need to
be by Monday. (This is for my transfer students only.)
THURSDAY, January 19: We did a dendrite builder using punctuation
puzzles. I told them that students who slip to a D or an F will be REQUIRED
to attend tutoring unless they have a written excuse from a parent or a note
from a teacher verifying the were in a different class for the ENTIRE
TUTORING PERIOD! If students fail to come to tutoring, they will receive a
study detention for the following Wednesday in my room. If they do not come
to that dention, it becomes two detentions, then four, and may lead to lunch
detention in the principal's office or in-school suspension until their
homework is caught up. I have too many students, both mine and Clay's, who
failed English last semester because of laziness.
HOMEWORK: Bring a free reading book tomorrow. See other details on
Wednesday.
FRIDAY, January 20: I collected disclosure forms from my new students,
gave ten points to those who brought free reading books, and then assigned
new seats.
HOMEWORK: New students need to bring class supplies (as listed on the
disclosure statement) Monday.
MONDAY, January 23: Dendrite Builder: "What is your definition of
success. List at least three attributes." We followed this up with a short
discussion. I checked supplies, then assigned a new reading record, which is
due Monday, January 23rd. Instead of writing 90 words, students will draw a
Venn diagram comparing and contrasting two characters in their book (ANY
TWO). They need to list (not in complete sentences) FIVE ways each character
is different and FIVE ways they are the same. They may NOT list physical
characteristics (as in gender, age, hair color, ethnicity, etc.) Examples of
things they could compare and contrast are attitudes, experiences,
backgrounds, feelings, thoughts, decisions, abilities, strengths, weaknesses,
how other people treat them, behavior/actions, family challenges,hobbies,
interests, religions, personalities, friends, addictions, habits, etc.
In a couple of classes, we got a start on looking up definitions and
roots of words related to our new story, "Flowers for Algernon," definitely a
classic!
HOMEWORK: Read for next week's Reading Record. See details above; email me
with any questions. ENJOY YOUR BOOK!
TUESDAY, January 24: Our dendrite builder today: "What is better about
eighth grade than seventh? What is worse?" The most creative ones may just
be printed in the yearbook. We then took some time to clean out our binders
and get rid of all of last semester's assignments except Reading Records. We
finished up with the vocabulary words (definitions and roots) on page 53.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday; see details above.
MONDAY, March 5: I thought I updated this page last week, but somehow it
didn't save. I am so sorry--let me know if I need to give extra time on
anything.
We started today with a punctuation puzzle, then turned in Reading Records
about the new genre each student was supposed to try. I assigned a new
Reading Record due Monday, March 12. It requires 90 minutes and 90 words, BUT
instead of a summary, students are supposed to write about how someone in
their book who is close to (a friend, sibling, etc.) to PROTAGONIST actually
influences (affects, changes) the PROTAGONIST (his/her attitudes, decisions,
experiences, emotions, etc.) which changes the story in some way.
We talked about divergent and convergent thinking (tying it in with Temple
Grandin.)
HOMEWORK: work on your MYACCESS persuasive essay at home (or in my room after
school). Finish it up to hand in on Thursday. Print it if you can, and use
the rubric I sent home with you to check that everything is there!
Do not consider it finished until you have a "four" in every column. Shoot
for higher than that!
Reading Record is due Monday, March 12th. Check details above.
TUESDAY, March 6: We took another Scholastic Reading Inventory test
today to see if students have made any progress in their reading. We used any
extra time to work on our MyAccess essays, which are due Thursday.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due Monday. MyAccess essay due Thursday. (See
details above.)
WEDNESDAY, March 7: I had a substitute today who had students read
and annotate an article about the "teen-age" brain.
HOMEWORK: Essay due tomorrow; reading record due Monday.
THURSDAY, March 8: We turned our essays in today after re-checking
and highlighting all the necessary elements. We had a bit of time to discuss
the brain article from yesterday.
HOMEWORK: Bring a free reading book to class tomorrow. Read for Monday.
MONDAY, March 12: I collected Reading Records, but because of the
play and Daylight Savings Time, I gave kids another day to get them done.
Those who had them on time received 15 E.C. points! We had fun with divergent
thinking day, testing and stretching our creativity. We began reading an
article about multiple intelligences as well as working on understanding
context clues for expanding our vocabularies.
HOMEWORK: If you did not have your reading record today, be sure to bring it
tomorrow.
TUESDAY, March 13: We practiced divergent thinking again today; it
gets easier as you try it more. We ccontinued our work on using context clues
to determine definitions of unfamiliar words.
HOMEWORK: There is no Reading Record required for next Monday; however,
students who are completely caught up in their reading may earn up to 90
extra credit points for bringing a Reading Record with title, author, number
of minutes and only a parent's signature. NO WRITING REQUIRED. To receive
the E.C., it must be turned in Monday.
MONDAY, March 26: We read and analyzed a beautiful, challenging poem by
Pablo Neruda called "Ode to Thanks." We searched for his marvelous use of
similes and metaphors. We did a quick "DRSL rehearsal," preparing for the
accreditation team visit on Wednesday and Thursday. We wrapped up class with
a "cliche hunt," reading each other's poetry and finding those dead, boring
words that weaken writing.
HOMEWORK: If you haven't finished writing and/or typing your Mood poems
and "I am" poems and eliminated all tired, boring words, finish those tonight
to hand in tomorrow.
TUESDAY, March 27: We listened to music, looked at some great
photography, and wrote poetry today. Options included :writing about
yourself using similes and metaphors, writing about someone else using
similes and metaphors, or writing an "ODE" to a person, a thing, a word, a
place, something in nature, etc.
HOMEWORK: Don't forget to finish up your mood and "I Am" poems if you haven't
finished yet. They all MUST be in by Friday!
WEDNESDAY, March 28: We started with a quick debate about whether
metaphors and similes strengthen writing or not. I used examples of metaphors
from the Supreme Court hearing about Obamacare. They are used in very
serious, logical writing as well as in poetry. I gave them time to write to
music and then exchange some of their writing. Their creativity has become a
tidal wave!
HOMEWORK: Be sure I have ALL your poetry by Friday: two mood poems, your "I
am" poem, and your last one. (See details above.) The last one doesn't need
to be typed. A rough copy is fine! These last ones must be at least 100
words, have two or more similes or metaphors, and be totally and completely
cliche-free.
MONDAY, April 9: We had a dendrite builder reviewing some grammar
rules, filled out new information cards about ourselves, then went outside
to "pay attention" and write about the small but important details of
something from nature. Good scientists, writers, architects, businessmen,
artists, and pilots HAVE to pay attention to minute details to be successful
in their careers. This ties into a unit we start tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: None.
TUESDAY, April 10: We practiced introductory phrases and commas for
our dendrite builder. I assigned a new reading record due Monday, April
16th. See details below. We shared some of our writing from yesterday,
answered and discussed the question,"What gifts do you receive from nature?"
HOMEWORK: Reading record due Monday, April 16th. Choices for writing include
1. Summary 2. Find some Wonderful Words, explain how the author used them and
why you especially liked them 3. Choose a character from your book and
describe him/her physically and his/her personality. Explain why you would or
would not want this person as a sibling or close friend. 4. Describe the
influence one character has on another one or how two characters influence
each other. 5. Make a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting two characters
with at least five differences and five similarities.
Keep a brief record of what you do tonight between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, April 11: Dendrite builder: List five or more facts you know
about the Holocaust. I gave preparation points for having last night's
homework completed. We read together page 4 of Anne Frank's diary about all
the privileges that were taken away from the Jews in Holland. We gradually
eliminated activities that THEY did yesterday and would not be able to do
again if they were Jewish and had lived when she did.
HOMEWORK: Read for next Monday. See details above.
THURSDAY, April 12: Dendrite builder: Two sentences with the same
information, one needing a comma and one not! (Weird comma rule) We handed in
our "Record of Activities" and learned about labels people were forced to use
during the Holocaust besides the Star of David for Jewish people. We started
a group research activity which we will finish on Monday.
HOMEWORK: Bring a free reading book tomorrow. Read for Monday.
MONDAY, April 16: I collected Reading Records. The dendrite builder
was: Write three "I wonder. . . ." statements about the Holocaust. We shared
a few. I assigned a new Reading Record due TUESDAY, April 24. Make
predictions about what you think will happen in the story and cite your
evidence (state your reasons) for making that prediction. We had just a bit
of time to continue our group research.
HOMEWORK: Read for next week.
Start a conversation with a stranger either at school or out in the
community, using a compliment, a question, or a random comment. You have to
have at least two "exchanges." Write down where you were, to whom you
spoke, what you said, and what the "stranger" said. You don't have to write
any more than 50 words.
TUESDAY, April 17: Our dendrite builder was a mini-mystery to practice
litening skills and criticial thinking. We started "lines of inquiry" where
students can ask their own questions about the Holocaust and follow their own
curioisty to learn what they WANT to learn. Many students were gone for the
band festival, so we will resume our group research tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: See above.
WEDNESDAY, April 18: We had another mystery to solve, which proved to be
very good practice in visualizing and listening. We worked in our research
groups and are almost ready to make our presentations.
HOMEWORK: See above.
THURSDAY, April 19: We did a bit more writing about our "conversations
with a stranger," discussed them briefly and handed them in. Students who
were prepared at the beginning of class received 15 preparation points. As
our dendrite builder, we tried to solve another mystery. We spent the rest of
the time on our independent research or "line of inquiry."
HOMEWORK: Bring a free reading book tomorrow. Read for Monday and make
predictions. (See details above.)
MONDAY, APRIL 23: We started a review of the correct of pronouns,
especially "me" and "I." We began presenting our group research to the other
groups.
HOMEWORK: Reading Record (predictions) is due tomorrow.
TUESDAY, APRIL 24: Not all classes followed the same schedule, but
here is what we did approximately: proofread and turned in reading records,
learned more about pronouns, continued with our presentations, and wrote down
new homework assignments.
HOMEWORK: (I forgot to give it to 5th period, sorry.) Reading Record due
Tuesday, May 1st, free choice unless you did not make predictions this week.
You may not use another Venn diagram if you have already completed one this
term.
The "Line of Inquiry" (see details last week) is due Friday, April 27th,
typed or NEATLY handwritten. Requirements are: 1. 250 words minimum 2. at
least one "how" or "why" question 3. answers relevant to questions 4. two
cited references with title or website and author (if noted) 5. no repetition
of first words of sentences 6. five words changed using a thesaurus 7. no
fragments or run-ons. I AM AVAILABLE TO HELP IF NEEDED!
WEDNESDAY, April 25: We reviewed the "Line of Inquiry" writing
assignment in detail, then continued with our group research presentations
and follow-up discussion.
HOMEWORK: The deadline for the "Line of Inquiry" has been postponed Thursday,
May 3rd because I realized I won't have time to begin grading them until
then.
Reading Record due Tuesday, May 1st. Free choice unless you have not written
predictions yet. You may NOT use a Venn diagram if you have already done one
this term!
CRTs are schedled for May 1,2, and 7. Don't get sick or go on a cruise!
I am here after school every Monday and Wednesday for homework help.
THURSDAY, April 26: We discssed a poster showing various tools that
were used to determine whether a person was of a superior race or of an
inferior one. In some classes, we finished our group presentations; in
others we are not quite finished.
HOMEWORK: The deadline for the "Line or Inquiry" has been postponed until
Thursday, May 3rd.
Bring a free reading book tomorrow!
NO TUTORING BECAUSE OF FACULTY TRAINING. I AM AVAILABLE MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY
AFTER SCHOOL NEXT WEEK.
MONDAY and TUESDAY, April 30 and May 1: We have been taking parts and
reading the play version of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. I thought we had CRT
tests today, but they start tomorrow.
HOMEWORK: Bring a reading book tomorrow. Line of Inquiry is due Thursday.
See details above.
WEDNESDAY, May 2: We took the first section of the CRTs today in the
library.
HOMEWORK: Bring a reading book tomorrow for the next section of testing. Line
of inquiry is due tomorrow for all classes except third period, which will
hand them in on Friday.
THURSDAY, May 3: More testing in the library. . . groan!
HOMEWORK: Line of Inquiry papers are due in third period. Don't worry about
a free reading book tomorrow. We need to do something a little noisier!
FRIDAY, May 4: We played BINGO with literary terms to unwind a bit.
HOMEWORK: Bring a free reading book on Monday.
MONDAY, May 7: LAST CRT TEST!
HOMEWORK: None.
TUESDAY, May 8: We started a beautifully made video of Anne's story,
recording our thoughts in an "empathy journal."
HOMEWORK: Reading Record due Tuesday, May 15th. Read 90 words but just get a
parent's signature.
WEDNESDAY, May 9: We shared our observations from yesterday,
finished presentations in some classes and wrote journals in others. We
watched more of the video, wrote, and discussed the characters.
HOMEWORK: Read for Monday.
MONDAY, May 14: I handed out graded work as well as the
ungraded "line of inquiry" so students could mark every element: 250 words,
no repeated words at the beginning of sentences, five words from the
thesaurus, two references, and at least one how or why question. Some
students took them home to make corrections.
We continued to watch Anne Frank, write, and discuss.
HOMEWORK: Reading record due tomorrow, 90 minutes, but only a parent's
signature unless you have not written predictions, which you need to do for
tomorrow.
TUESDAY, May 15: I assigned a reading record, the last one this year,
due Tuesday, May 22. Read 60 minutes, draw 5 simple sketches of scenes you
were able to visualize with a caption for each one. We wrote briefly about
some photographs of children who lost their lives in concentration camps. We
made more progress on the video.
HOMEWORK: Reading record due May 22. See details above.
WEDNESDAY, May 16: We took time to enjoy the art show, then finished
the video with a very brief discussion of the tragic ending.
HOMEWORK: Reading due Tuesday. (See details above.) Bring a free reading book
Friday.
