L.A. for the week of May 28th:
We will start off the week as we finish presenting our Cinderella stories.
We will do work with our Scholastic Scope magazines, including a play called "Fly Girls." Along with reading the play aloud students will complete some activities that connect to the play.
This week we will complete the letters we introduced last week where they will have an opportunity to write a letter to themselves, as 6th graders. I will mail it to them when they are graduating seniors. They will write about what life is like now, as current 6th graders, as well as make some predictions about their future. This has always been one of the most popular assignments that I have done over the past 25 years!
We also will be completing some other end of the year activities... All the student computers will be turned in on Wednesday.
We will do work with our Scholastic Scope magazines, including a play called "Fly Girls." Along with reading the play aloud students will complete some activities that connect to the play.
This week we will complete the letters we introduced last week where they will have an opportunity to write a letter to themselves, as 6th graders. I will mail it to them when they are graduating seniors. They will write about what life is like now, as current 6th graders, as well as make some predictions about their future. This has always been one of the most popular assignments that I have done over the past 25 years!
We also will be completing some other end of the year activities... All the student computers will be turned in on Wednesday.
L.A. for the week of May 20th:
We have 2 weeks left of school! This week we we will wrap up our work on our Cinderella stories. They should be completed by this Wednesday. Students will be present their stories to their classmates.
This week students will have an opportunity to write a letter to themselves, as 6th graders. I will mail it to them when they are graduating seniors. They will write about what life is like now, as current 6th graders, as well as make some predictions about their future. This has always been one of the most popular assignments that I have done over the past 25 years!
We will take some class time this week to read Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day." Students will read this science fiction story, answer some questions, and we will discuss the story in class.
Students will be assigned a Newsela choice article this week. They will pick an article to read, make sure it is at a Lexile level of 850 or above, and answer the quiz questions. This should be submitted by Friday.
This week students should work on their Vocabulary.com list. This is the JB list of 38 words that middle schoolers should know. This week students should work on getting 100% mastery.
This week students will have an opportunity to write a letter to themselves, as 6th graders. I will mail it to them when they are graduating seniors. They will write about what life is like now, as current 6th graders, as well as make some predictions about their future. This has always been one of the most popular assignments that I have done over the past 25 years!
We will take some class time this week to read Ray Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day." Students will read this science fiction story, answer some questions, and we will discuss the story in class.
Students will be assigned a Newsela choice article this week. They will pick an article to read, make sure it is at a Lexile level of 850 or above, and answer the quiz questions. This should be submitted by Friday.
This week students should work on their Vocabulary.com list. This is the JB list of 38 words that middle schoolers should know. This week students should work on getting 100% mastery.
L.A. for the week of May 6th:
We will start off this week with a vocabulary quiz on units 9 ('moving out') & 10 ('against'). Students will also be getting a final vocabulary list that will consist of 38 words that middle schoolers should know. This will be available on vocabulary.com.
We will continue with our Cinderella unit as students work on their Cinderella Stories that they are creating in groups. There will be some class time dedicated to working on the copy and illustrations. This final project should be completed next Tuesday, May 14th.
This week students should finish their reading of either Chinese Cinderella or Homeless Bird. We will take a close look at theme this week as these stories wrap up. We also will look at the plot curve and complete some Venn Diagrams as students examine some of the other literary elements that connect to these stories.
We also will be spend some time this week reading from our Scholastic Scope Magazine with some informational text and a historical fiction play called "Fly Girl."
Students will be taking the AR test for their Independent Reading requirement that they have been reading over the past month. This will be done sometime this week. Students will also take an AR test as an assessment for their reading of Chinese Cinderella or Homeless Bird.
This week the 7th grade ELA teachers will be visiting the 6th graders to introduce themselves, and to pass along information about the summer reading requirement.
We will continue with our Cinderella unit as students work on their Cinderella Stories that they are creating in groups. There will be some class time dedicated to working on the copy and illustrations. This final project should be completed next Tuesday, May 14th.
This week students should finish their reading of either Chinese Cinderella or Homeless Bird. We will take a close look at theme this week as these stories wrap up. We also will look at the plot curve and complete some Venn Diagrams as students examine some of the other literary elements that connect to these stories.
We also will be spend some time this week reading from our Scholastic Scope Magazine with some informational text and a historical fiction play called "Fly Girl."
Students will be taking the AR test for their Independent Reading requirement that they have been reading over the past month. This will be done sometime this week. Students will also take an AR test as an assessment for their reading of Chinese Cinderella or Homeless Bird.
This week the 7th grade ELA teachers will be visiting the 6th graders to introduce themselves, and to pass along information about the summer reading requirement.
L.A. for the week of April 29th:
This week we will continue with our reading of Chinese Cinderella, by Adelline Yen Mah, or Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan. We will use our guided annotations as we take a closer look at the different story elements, especially character development, in these stories. There will be group and class discussions as students continue with their reading. Students reading Chinese Cinderella should read though chapter 14 by Thursday's discussion and those reading Homeless Bird should read through chapter 7.
This week we also will continue with our study of the Cinderella story format as students are introduced to a final project where they will create their own Cinderella stories. Students will work together in groups as they incorporate the different elements we have looked at earlier, including the hero, villain, conflict, magic, event, and theme ... The story part of this assignment will be due Tuesday, May 14th.
There will be a quiz on vocabulary units 9 & 10 next Monday, May 6th. Students can practice these words on vocabulary.com and Quizlet.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. This should be a book that is appropriate or the student's particular reading level, that they have never read before There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
This week we also will continue with our study of the Cinderella story format as students are introduced to a final project where they will create their own Cinderella stories. Students will work together in groups as they incorporate the different elements we have looked at earlier, including the hero, villain, conflict, magic, event, and theme ... The story part of this assignment will be due Tuesday, May 14th.
There will be a quiz on vocabulary units 9 & 10 next Monday, May 6th. Students can practice these words on vocabulary.com and Quizlet.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. This should be a book that is appropriate or the student's particular reading level, that they have never read before There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
L.A. for the week of April 22nd:
This week we will focus class time on our study of the Cinderella story with a novel - either Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, or Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan. We will refer to the matrix forms that students completed last week, as we focus on key literary elements that are found in these stories. Keeping with the Cinderella format, over the next 3 weeks students are reading one of these novels with this theme: This week students will continue to read their chosen novel, take notes, complete chapter summaries, and fill out the guided annotations with a google doc. By Friday those reading Chinese Cinderella need to complete through chapter 7, and those reading Homeless Bird should finish through chapter 3. We will be looking at other literary elements connected to these stories, as well. We will be completing a variety of activities to go along with the reading.
Students should continue with their roots - unit 10, words that mean against. This week students should work to achieve 100% on the vocabulary lists that connect to 'against.
This week students are assigned the Common Lit reading of "The Anklet." Tis story shares some of the elements of the Cinderella stories we have been reading. Students will need to do the guided reading and the assessment questions that go along with the story.
Last week students turned in their 'Poetry Exploration' with a chosen poem. This week students will take some class time to recite their poems to the class.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. This should be a book that is appropriate or the student's particular reading level, that they have never read before There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
Students should continue with their roots - unit 10, words that mean against. This week students should work to achieve 100% on the vocabulary lists that connect to 'against.
This week students are assigned the Common Lit reading of "The Anklet." Tis story shares some of the elements of the Cinderella stories we have been reading. Students will need to do the guided reading and the assessment questions that go along with the story.
Last week students turned in their 'Poetry Exploration' with a chosen poem. This week students will take some class time to recite their poems to the class.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. This should be a book that is appropriate or the student's particular reading level, that they have never read before There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
L.A. for the week of April 15th:
Students will begin this week by responding to the William Henley's powerful poem Invictus that we analyzed in class last week.
This week we are starting a new unit. We will be taking a close look at the Cinderella format and related folktales. We will explore the question 'What makes a Cinderella story?' These Cinderella stories have been passed down through the ages, in different times and different cultures. They all share some common characteristics. Students will be filling out a matrix that looks at these characteristics in a variety of stories. We will be reading some articles in CommonLit and Newsela that connect to this theme as well. Some of this reading will be done in class and for what is not finished will be done for homework. Next week students will begin reading a novel with the same Cinderella format.
This week students will look at our next Roots unit 10. These are words that mean against, with the prefix anti, con, or contra. Students should go onto Vocabulary.com and study words on the list to achieve at least 50% mastery this week.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. This should be a book that is appropriate or the student's particular reading level, that they have never read before There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
This week we are starting a new unit. We will be taking a close look at the Cinderella format and related folktales. We will explore the question 'What makes a Cinderella story?' These Cinderella stories have been passed down through the ages, in different times and different cultures. They all share some common characteristics. Students will be filling out a matrix that looks at these characteristics in a variety of stories. We will be reading some articles in CommonLit and Newsela that connect to this theme as well. Some of this reading will be done in class and for what is not finished will be done for homework. Next week students will begin reading a novel with the same Cinderella format.
This week students will look at our next Roots unit 10. These are words that mean against, with the prefix anti, con, or contra. Students should go onto Vocabulary.com and study words on the list to achieve at least 50% mastery this week.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. This should be a book that is appropriate or the student's particular reading level, that they have never read before There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
L.A. for the week of April 8th:
This week, on Wednesday & Thursday all students at BMS will be taking the AIR Test. This high stakes test represents an assessment of the Ohio State Common Core Standards we have been studying thus far, this year. Students have been doing all the prep work already. There is nothing they need to do to prepare, but there are a few tips to help with test taking:
1) Get enough sleep. Students should get to bed at a reasonable time
the night before the test.
2) Have a well balanced breakfast the day of the tests.
3) Get to school on time. Tests begin for everyone in the building as
school begins.
Due to testing homework is at a minimum this week. There is no 6th grade study club this week.
This week we will continue with our study of poetry with an independent assignment - A Poetry Exploration. This will involve some research as students find a poem to share with their classmates.
Students should continue with their Vocabulary.com - unit 9 'Moving Away.' This week students should work to achieve 100% mastery on this list.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
1) Get enough sleep. Students should get to bed at a reasonable time
the night before the test.
2) Have a well balanced breakfast the day of the tests.
3) Get to school on time. Tests begin for everyone in the building as
school begins.
Due to testing homework is at a minimum this week. There is no 6th grade study club this week.
This week we will continue with our study of poetry with an independent assignment - A Poetry Exploration. This will involve some research as students find a poem to share with their classmates.
Students should continue with their Vocabulary.com - unit 9 'Moving Away.' This week students should work to achieve 100% mastery on this list.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week. Students should have a book picked out for their IR requirement. There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book on Tuesday, May 7th. The book club meets that week as well.
L.A. for the week of April 1st:
As we begin the 4th quarter we will introduce unit 9 in our new Red Hot Roots packet. This is covering words with the prefixes 'ab', 'abs', or 'apo'. Students will use vocabulary.com and to achieve at least 50% by this Friday, April 5th. Next week it should be 100%.
We will take a closer look at poetry and the poetic elements. Students will complete an outline in class with the poetry terms and then we will spend some class time analyzing different poems, using the terms. We will highlight the life of Langston Hughes as we look at some of his poetry, including "Mother to Son," and "Dream Deferred." For homework students will be read and respond to a poem in our CommonLit called "I Ask My Mother to Sing." Later in the week students will be working on an independent assessment called 'California Lee and Me'. We will go over these activities in class. This week we also will take some class time to look at thesis and theme.
Students will use our study of poetry as we complete some questions that follow the AIR Test format. The AIR test is coming up next week, so some class time will be dedicated to review as we prep for this high stakes test. These tests for ELA will be given next Wednesday and Thursday, April 10th and 11th.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week students should have completed the current IR requirement. There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book. Students should continue with their reading. Mrs. Ungier, our librarian, will be coming into class this week to share some titles for the last book club of the year.
We will take a closer look at poetry and the poetic elements. Students will complete an outline in class with the poetry terms and then we will spend some class time analyzing different poems, using the terms. We will highlight the life of Langston Hughes as we look at some of his poetry, including "Mother to Son," and "Dream Deferred." For homework students will be read and respond to a poem in our CommonLit called "I Ask My Mother to Sing." Later in the week students will be working on an independent assessment called 'California Lee and Me'. We will go over these activities in class. This week we also will take some class time to look at thesis and theme.
Students will use our study of poetry as we complete some questions that follow the AIR Test format. The AIR test is coming up next week, so some class time will be dedicated to review as we prep for this high stakes test. These tests for ELA will be given next Wednesday and Thursday, April 10th and 11th.
Our Independent Reading will continue as this week students should have completed the current IR requirement. There will be an AR test to assess their reading of the book. Students should continue with their reading. Mrs. Ungier, our librarian, will be coming into class this week to share some titles for the last book club of the year.
L.A. for the week of March 18th:
This week is the final week of the 3rd quarter. The quarter comes to an end this Friday, March 22nd, as our spring break begins.
We have been spending some class time preparing for the high stakes AIR Test that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday - April 10th & 11th. The test is tool to assess the student's coverage of the Ohio State ELA Standards. This week we will use the online tool Edcite, as we look at 2 passages about Yosemite National Park. There will be multiple choice questions, along with an extended response essay. This will be completed in class.
Students will continue with their Compare / Contrast essay that we have been working on in class. This will be due this week, on Wednesday, March 20th. All the parts will be printed out and turn in by that date.
Students will be assigned a text set in our Newsela, the online newspaper, that is designed for middle schoolers to read relevant passages and respond to text related questions. This week's text set "Walk in Their Shoes - Immigration". Students will pick 2 of the 6 articles to read and answer the quiz questions. They all focus on central idea.
We will take some class time to analyze some poetry this week. Students will use their knowledge of figurative language as they deconstruct some classic and modern poetry. We will be using Scholastic Scope as a resource for some of these activities.
On Wednesday we will be having our last Quotation Rotation of the year. Students will be sharing a quote, as the rest of the class responds in their quotation log with an interpretation of the quote's meaning. This quarter there will be grades for sharing the quote, as well as their logs.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.) For students who have chosen to participate in the book club, that will be meeting this Monday, March 18th. The books for the book club are either The War that Saved My Life, or Wishtree.
We have been spending some class time preparing for the high stakes AIR Test that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday - April 10th & 11th. The test is tool to assess the student's coverage of the Ohio State ELA Standards. This week we will use the online tool Edcite, as we look at 2 passages about Yosemite National Park. There will be multiple choice questions, along with an extended response essay. This will be completed in class.
Students will continue with their Compare / Contrast essay that we have been working on in class. This will be due this week, on Wednesday, March 20th. All the parts will be printed out and turn in by that date.
Students will be assigned a text set in our Newsela, the online newspaper, that is designed for middle schoolers to read relevant passages and respond to text related questions. This week's text set "Walk in Their Shoes - Immigration". Students will pick 2 of the 6 articles to read and answer the quiz questions. They all focus on central idea.
We will take some class time to analyze some poetry this week. Students will use their knowledge of figurative language as they deconstruct some classic and modern poetry. We will be using Scholastic Scope as a resource for some of these activities.
On Wednesday we will be having our last Quotation Rotation of the year. Students will be sharing a quote, as the rest of the class responds in their quotation log with an interpretation of the quote's meaning. This quarter there will be grades for sharing the quote, as well as their logs.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.) For students who have chosen to participate in the book club, that will be meeting this Monday, March 18th. The books for the book club are either The War that Saved My Life, or Wishtree.
L.A. for the week of March 11th:
This week students will start off with an Independence Check Test. This assessment will focus on our Argument unit. Students prepared last week by creating a study guide sheet that they will be able to use during the assessment.
Students will be given a reading assignment from Newsela, our online newspaper. This will highlight Women's History Month. Students will be assigned 2 articles from the Newsela text set. This will be due on Friday.
Students will spend some class time this week as we continue with the topic of compare / contrast. We will compare and contrast the article "My Antonia" and the poem "Home on the Range."
If time permits we will work on a No Red Ink that focuses on commonly confused words. This will be done in class.
Students will continue with their Compare / Contrast essay that we have been working on in class. This will be due next week, on Wednesday, March 20th. All the parts will be printed out and turn in by that date. The end of the quarter is next Friday, March 22nd (right before spring break).
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.) For students who have chosen to participate in the book club, that will be meeting on Monday, March 18th. The books for the book club are either The War that Saved My Life, or Wishtree.
Students will be given a reading assignment from Newsela, our online newspaper. This will highlight Women's History Month. Students will be assigned 2 articles from the Newsela text set. This will be due on Friday.
Students will spend some class time this week as we continue with the topic of compare / contrast. We will compare and contrast the article "My Antonia" and the poem "Home on the Range."
If time permits we will work on a No Red Ink that focuses on commonly confused words. This will be done in class.
Students will continue with their Compare / Contrast essay that we have been working on in class. This will be due next week, on Wednesday, March 20th. All the parts will be printed out and turn in by that date. The end of the quarter is next Friday, March 22nd (right before spring break).
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.) For students who have chosen to participate in the book club, that will be meeting on Monday, March 18th. The books for the book club are either The War that Saved My Life, or Wishtree.
L.A. for the week of March 3rd:
This Monday students should come in with their completed Reading Analysis Essay #4 - focusing onText Structure and Central Idea. Students will print out their graphic organizer, & the essay and turn it in with the rubric on top.
We will go over the CommonLIt article on Raising Elephants. We will discuss how this fits into the study of text structure.
Next Monday, March 11th, there will be the next Independence Check Test (#2). This will be covering our unit on Argument. Students will get a preparation guide that will need to be filled out this week. Students will bring the completed preparation form to class next Monday.
This week we will take a close look at the standards centered around compare & contrast in nonfiction texts. Students will be given articles that have a connection to the "Otherness" novels that they just completed. They will look at the similarities between these articles and the novel (compare and contrast). We will continue with this idea as we read some other paired nonfiction texts. One assignment is centered around the Titanic with a copy of a newspaper article from the event and a personal memoir from someone who survived the tragedy. We also will take a look at compare / contrast with a reading of paired texts with excerpts from "The Maze Runner" and "Iron Gold." Students will compare / contrast and answer 12 multiple choice questions.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.) For students who have chosen to participate in the book club, that will be meeting on Monday, March 18th. The books for the book club are either The War that Saved My Life, or Wishtree.
We will go over the CommonLIt article on Raising Elephants. We will discuss how this fits into the study of text structure.
Next Monday, March 11th, there will be the next Independence Check Test (#2). This will be covering our unit on Argument. Students will get a preparation guide that will need to be filled out this week. Students will bring the completed preparation form to class next Monday.
This week we will take a close look at the standards centered around compare & contrast in nonfiction texts. Students will be given articles that have a connection to the "Otherness" novels that they just completed. They will look at the similarities between these articles and the novel (compare and contrast). We will continue with this idea as we read some other paired nonfiction texts. One assignment is centered around the Titanic with a copy of a newspaper article from the event and a personal memoir from someone who survived the tragedy. We also will take a look at compare / contrast with a reading of paired texts with excerpts from "The Maze Runner" and "Iron Gold." Students will compare / contrast and answer 12 multiple choice questions.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.) For students who have chosen to participate in the book club, that will be meeting on Monday, March 18th. The books for the book club are either The War that Saved My Life, or Wishtree.
L.A. for the week of February 25th:
This week students will be assigned a selection from Common Lit called "Raising Elephants." This piece focuses on theme and text structure. After reading and annotating the article students will answer the four multiple choice questions that are part of the assessment. This will be due on Friday, March 1st.
As we wrap up our Otherness novels this week students will be completing a final wrap-up project in class highlighting theme, plot, and character development. We will look at the how the theme is developed and how it connects to the plot curve. Students will also be creating some 'Prepositional Poetry,' that looks at character.
Students spent a portion of last week forming the introduction to their Reading Analysis Essay #4. We began the graphic organizer. The graphic organizer is due this Monday, February 25th. After it is checked we will proceed with how the essay should be constructed. Students will see a model of how it is to be written. The completed essay, printed out, will be due next Monday, March 4th.
This Friday there will be a Roots quiz, covering units 7 & 8. Students can practice for this using the online tool Vocabulary.com.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.)
As we wrap up our Otherness novels this week students will be completing a final wrap-up project in class highlighting theme, plot, and character development. We will look at the how the theme is developed and how it connects to the plot curve. Students will also be creating some 'Prepositional Poetry,' that looks at character.
Students spent a portion of last week forming the introduction to their Reading Analysis Essay #4. We began the graphic organizer. The graphic organizer is due this Monday, February 25th. After it is checked we will proceed with how the essay should be constructed. Students will see a model of how it is to be written. The completed essay, printed out, will be due next Monday, March 4th.
This Friday there will be a Roots quiz, covering units 7 & 8. Students can practice for this using the online tool Vocabulary.com.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.)
L.A. for the week of February 18th:
We will start out on Tuesday by going over Langston Hughes story, "Thank You Ma'm." We will take some time to look at the extended response with an emphasis on the theme and overall meaning of the story.
We also will continue with our "Otherness Unit." This week, by Friday, students will finish their chosen novels. We will have 2 discussions - one on Tuesday, and a wrap-up on Friday. Students will be using their responses to Reading Logs #3 & #4. We also will be completing some companion forms that go along with our reading.
We will be preparing for our next Reading Analysis Essay #4 about text structure and central idea.. Students will be choosing an article to read (by this Thursday) that connects to the RAE #4. We will begin this essay with introducing the the graphic organizer this week in class. Students will finish this by next Monday, February 25th.
Unit 8 from our Red Hot Roots packet, with prefixes about 'Life & Death', will continue with students achieving 100% mastery on vocabulary.com.
Students will be reading an article by Ana Rodriguez called "The Alligator's Super Sense." After reading the article students will answer questions and write a response paragraph.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.)
We also will continue with our "Otherness Unit." This week, by Friday, students will finish their chosen novels. We will have 2 discussions - one on Tuesday, and a wrap-up on Friday. Students will be using their responses to Reading Logs #3 & #4. We also will be completing some companion forms that go along with our reading.
We will be preparing for our next Reading Analysis Essay #4 about text structure and central idea.. Students will be choosing an article to read (by this Thursday) that connects to the RAE #4. We will begin this essay with introducing the the graphic organizer this week in class. Students will finish this by next Monday, February 25th.
Unit 8 from our Red Hot Roots packet, with prefixes about 'Life & Death', will continue with students achieving 100% mastery on vocabulary.com.
Students will be reading an article by Ana Rodriguez called "The Alligator's Super Sense." After reading the article students will answer questions and write a response paragraph.
This week we are continuing with our Independent Reading Choice Book. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.)
L.A.. for the week of February 11th:
We also will continue our study of Text Structure as we read some articles in class and complete some companion activities. For homework students will be using CommonLit, as we read Langston Hughes, wonderful story, "Thank You M'am." As students read the story they will complete the guiding questions, and then answer the assessment questions as well. We will wrap up our look at Point of View & Perspective as students turn their responses to the article, "The Campsite." This was assigned last week and is due this Monday, February 11th.
This week students will continue with our "Otherness" Unit as we read and discuss the 4 different novels that have been assigned. By this Friday, February 15th, students should read the following: for Amina's Voice (thru page 163), Endless Steppe (thru page 205), Freak the Mighty (thru page 140), and Number the Stars (thru page 112). Students should be reading, annotating, and creating chapter summaries. Students should complete the Reading Log #2 for discussion on Monday. We also will be using our Literary Response Journals as a guide for the novels.
This week students will be assigned Unit 8 - in our Red Hot Roots packet, with prefixes about 'Life and Death'. There is a vocabulary.com list that corresponds to the is unit, as well. Along with doing some activities in class students should achieve 50%mastery this week for homework, in vocabulary.com.
This week we are starting our next Independent Reading Choice Book. Students should pick out a book by this Thursday. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.)
This week students will continue with our "Otherness" Unit as we read and discuss the 4 different novels that have been assigned. By this Friday, February 15th, students should read the following: for Amina's Voice (thru page 163), Endless Steppe (thru page 205), Freak the Mighty (thru page 140), and Number the Stars (thru page 112). Students should be reading, annotating, and creating chapter summaries. Students should complete the Reading Log #2 for discussion on Monday. We also will be using our Literary Response Journals as a guide for the novels.
This week students will be assigned Unit 8 - in our Red Hot Roots packet, with prefixes about 'Life and Death'. There is a vocabulary.com list that corresponds to the is unit, as well. Along with doing some activities in class students should achieve 50%mastery this week for homework, in vocabulary.com.
This week we are starting our next Independent Reading Choice Book. Students should pick out a book by this Thursday. This should be a book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for each person's particular reading level. This book should be completed by Tuesday, April 2nd . (This is the Tuesday after Spring Break.)
L.A. for the week of February 4th:
This week we will begin our study of the "Otherness Unit" novels - Amina's Voice, Endless Steppe, Freak the Mighty, and Number the Stars. We will be getting into modified Literature Circles, so groups will have an opportunity to study and discuss ideas connected to the different stories. Some of this work will be done independently, and some will be done in groups. We will be working on a Reading Log and Literary Response Journal in class. The reading required this week is posted on google classroom. By Friday students should read, annotate and create chapter summaries in Amina's Voice (page 97), Endless Steppe (page 138), Freak the Mighty (page 87), and Number the Stars (page 81).
We will continue with our Red Hot Roots-Unit 7 "Just Asking." This week, along with the packet in class, students will need to achieve 100% mastery on vocabulary.com.
We will be spending some more class time on analogies, working on our journals, as well as reviewing the Independent Task work we did last week on 'Emancipation' and 'A Boy's Life.'
We also will dedicate some time to reviewing theme in literature, as well as looking at the difference between point of view and perspective.
This cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this cycle there should be no graphic novels. Students have been encouraged to have a book with them at all times.
We will continue with our Red Hot Roots-Unit 7 "Just Asking." This week, along with the packet in class, students will need to achieve 100% mastery on vocabulary.com.
We will be spending some more class time on analogies, working on our journals, as well as reviewing the Independent Task work we did last week on 'Emancipation' and 'A Boy's Life.'
We also will dedicate some time to reviewing theme in literature, as well as looking at the difference between point of view and perspective.
This cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this cycle there should be no graphic novels. Students have been encouraged to have a book with them at all times.
L.A. for the week of January 28th:
This week we will be getting back to our Red Hot Roots - with unit 7 - 'Just Asking.' This unit will include words with prefixes quer, ques, quir, quis, and rog. Along with working in the packet, students can find the 'Just Asking' list available on vocabulary.com. They should achieve 70% mastery by this Friday.
We will spend some class time reading the amusing story, "Priscilla and the Wimps," by Richard Peck. This story features inferencing and characterization. We will continue with our look at analogies, with some opportunities to practice how words relate to each other. There will also be a lesson this week on point of view versus perspective. As a formative assessment we also will look back at two selections we have read - 'Emancipation,' and 'Boy's Life,' as we compare and contrast these two pieces of writing.
This Tuesday we are starting our new unit - "Otherness." This features 4 novels that deal with a similar theme about belonging or being an outcast. Students will have an opportunity to pick one of these 4 novels, as we investigate character, theme, and plot. There will be some opportunities to read in class, but students will be expected to read outside of class as well. There will be groups, or literature circles, to facilitate discussion and class work centered on these novels.
This cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels. Students have been encouraged to have a book with them at all times.
We will spend some class time reading the amusing story, "Priscilla and the Wimps," by Richard Peck. This story features inferencing and characterization. We will continue with our look at analogies, with some opportunities to practice how words relate to each other. There will also be a lesson this week on point of view versus perspective. As a formative assessment we also will look back at two selections we have read - 'Emancipation,' and 'Boy's Life,' as we compare and contrast these two pieces of writing.
This Tuesday we are starting our new unit - "Otherness." This features 4 novels that deal with a similar theme about belonging or being an outcast. Students will have an opportunity to pick one of these 4 novels, as we investigate character, theme, and plot. There will be some opportunities to read in class, but students will be expected to read outside of class as well. There will be groups, or literature circles, to facilitate discussion and class work centered on these novels.
This cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels. Students have been encouraged to have a book with them at all times.
L.A. for the week of January 21st:
As we start this short week students will be assigned a formative assessment from our online tool CommonLit. Students will first read the Walter Dean Meyers powerful story, "Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push." After reading the story students will answer the guided questions, & the assessment multiple choice questions 1 - 4. For question #5 there is a R.A.C.E. paragraph as part of the response to this story. This is due on Friday.
This week students will be completing their Argument essays. We will be continue to work on the process in class, including a look at transitions, connotation and denotation, and the use of persuasive words. All parts are due this Friday, January 25th. These parts include: the notecards, the graphic organizer, the essay, and the graphic organizer.
We will dedicate some class time to learning about analogies this week. We also will continue with our look at Pronouns this week. We also will be starting our 'A- Poem-A-Week' where we will get to read and analyze different poetry. If time permits we will be reading a play from our Scholastic Scope Magazine, called, "The Girls who Dared," about the Civil Rights Movement.
This cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels.
This week students will be completing their Argument essays. We will be continue to work on the process in class, including a look at transitions, connotation and denotation, and the use of persuasive words. All parts are due this Friday, January 25th. These parts include: the notecards, the graphic organizer, the essay, and the graphic organizer.
We will dedicate some class time to learning about analogies this week. We also will continue with our look at Pronouns this week. We also will be starting our 'A- Poem-A-Week' where we will get to read and analyze different poetry. If time permits we will be reading a play from our Scholastic Scope Magazine, called, "The Girls who Dared," about the Civil Rights Movement.
This cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels.
L.A. for the week of January 14, 2019:
This week, as we start the 3rd quarter, we will continue with our Argument Unit, gathering information for the research we started last week. Students have picked their topics and this week we will continue with this process, making notecards as we find evidence to support the argument. We will review the online site NoodleTools, that will be used to create the Works Cited Page of the essay. This week we will model the essays that students will be writing, and students will create a graphic organizer that will be due this Friday. The finished essay with the notecards, graphic organizer, and Works Cited Page is due Friday, January 25th.
This week students will spend some class time learning about pronouns and antecedents. This will be done in class as bell work. There also will be class work with a close reading selection about the Titanic. We also will be using the online tool 'Edulastic' as a resource for upcoming formative assessments, that will help cover some common core standards. This week we will take some class time to read and respond to a piece called "Boy's Life."
Just a reminder: This Monday the Study Island assignment on Evaluating Argument (3e) is due. This was assigned last week.
The next cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels.
This week students will spend some class time learning about pronouns and antecedents. This will be done in class as bell work. There also will be class work with a close reading selection about the Titanic. We also will be using the online tool 'Edulastic' as a resource for upcoming formative assessments, that will help cover some common core standards. This week we will take some class time to read and respond to a piece called "Boy's Life."
Just a reminder: This Monday the Study Island assignment on Evaluating Argument (3e) is due. This was assigned last week.
The next cycle for our Independent Reading - Choice Book should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels.
L.A. for the week of January 7th, 2019!!!
Welcome back!
We are returning from winter break just in time for the last week of the second quarter. Just a reminder: This is a short week for students. Students have no school this Friday, January 11th. We will start out with a little reflection piece - looking backward and planning ahead. With the marking period coming to a close this week all past / incomplete work must be submitted by this Wednesday, to get graded for this current quarter. Students will get their graded RAE #3 essays, on 'Author's Perspective' returned this Monday.
As we continue to work on our Argument Unit, students will start off with an article that we will read together in class entitled, "Say No to Censorship." This will act as a segway to our upcoming argument essay that students will begin this week. This week students will have an opportunity to pick a topic to research. Over the course of the week students will read, take notes, and determine which position to argue. Much of the work for this should be done in class. Students will organize their research into an argument essay that will be supported by 3 claims and then supported by at least 2 relevant pieces of cited evidence. There also will be a 'Works Cited' page that will be created using the NoodleTools cite that students have previously used in class. This essay will be due Friday, January 25th.
This week students will be completing the Study Island assignment on Evaluating Argument (3e) . There will be some class time allowed for students to begin this and the remainder will be done for homework, by Monday, January 14th.
There will be a vocabulary quiz this Thursday, January 10th, covering the two Latin / Greek stems units that we worked on before break. There is a practice list available on vocabulary.com to help prepare.
This Thursday, January 10th, the current Independent Choice Reading cycle ends. Students will be taking the corresponding Accelerated Reader quiz for their chosen book this Thursday. The next cycle's reading should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels.
We are returning from winter break just in time for the last week of the second quarter. Just a reminder: This is a short week for students. Students have no school this Friday, January 11th. We will start out with a little reflection piece - looking backward and planning ahead. With the marking period coming to a close this week all past / incomplete work must be submitted by this Wednesday, to get graded for this current quarter. Students will get their graded RAE #3 essays, on 'Author's Perspective' returned this Monday.
As we continue to work on our Argument Unit, students will start off with an article that we will read together in class entitled, "Say No to Censorship." This will act as a segway to our upcoming argument essay that students will begin this week. This week students will have an opportunity to pick a topic to research. Over the course of the week students will read, take notes, and determine which position to argue. Much of the work for this should be done in class. Students will organize their research into an argument essay that will be supported by 3 claims and then supported by at least 2 relevant pieces of cited evidence. There also will be a 'Works Cited' page that will be created using the NoodleTools cite that students have previously used in class. This essay will be due Friday, January 25th.
This week students will be completing the Study Island assignment on Evaluating Argument (3e) . There will be some class time allowed for students to begin this and the remainder will be done for homework, by Monday, January 14th.
There will be a vocabulary quiz this Thursday, January 10th, covering the two Latin / Greek stems units that we worked on before break. There is a practice list available on vocabulary.com to help prepare.
This Thursday, January 10th, the current Independent Choice Reading cycle ends. Students will be taking the corresponding Accelerated Reader quiz for their chosen book this Thursday. The next cycle's reading should be completed by Friday, February 8th. Just a reminder: Students need to read a book that is appropriate for their reading level, that they have not yet read. For this next cycle there should be no graphic novels.
L.A. for the week of December 17th:
This week we will wrap up our study of Under The Blood Red Sun, as we complete a few activities connecting to the novel. There will be a discussion with responses to the questions from the last part of the book (chapters 17 - 22), that will be due in class on Tuesday, December 18th. Students will work on a character analysis of one person from the novel, that will be due this Wednesday, December 19th. Students will also be completing a plot map of the book, along with an analysis if the theme. We will be dedicating some class time to work on these activities.
We will finish the powerpoint on argument writing with a look at claims, reason and evidence in the writing process. Students will also complete an assessment of the terminology that is used in this process. The RAE #3 - Author's Perspective and Purpose Essay, will be due this Wednesday, December 19th. Students spent time in class last week on this.
The second part of vocabulary.com - 100% mastery on our list 'All Things Great and Small,' will be due this Friday. Our students have accomplished many milestones on our school leaderboard, with Emma Wang getting over 900,000 points!!
As winter break is coming up next week students should continue with their Independent Reading Choice Books. Remember, any book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for your reading level is acceptable. As one book is completed please move onto another and keep reading. Vacation is a great time to read. There will not be any official assignments to complete, so please make sure you work reading into your day!!!
We will finish the powerpoint on argument writing with a look at claims, reason and evidence in the writing process. Students will also complete an assessment of the terminology that is used in this process. The RAE #3 - Author's Perspective and Purpose Essay, will be due this Wednesday, December 19th. Students spent time in class last week on this.
The second part of vocabulary.com - 100% mastery on our list 'All Things Great and Small,' will be due this Friday. Our students have accomplished many milestones on our school leaderboard, with Emma Wang getting over 900,000 points!!
As winter break is coming up next week students should continue with their Independent Reading Choice Books. Remember, any book that students have not yet read, that is appropriate for your reading level is acceptable. As one book is completed please move onto another and keep reading. Vacation is a great time to read. There will not be any official assignments to complete, so please make sure you work reading into your day!!!
L.A. for the week of December 10th:
This week students will finish our reading of Under the Blood Red Sun, by reading chapters 17 - 22 (pages 171 - 246). We will start off the week with an in-class comprehension / response to chapters 9 - 16. Students will continue to a read, annotate, and answer questions that correspond to these last chapters. This Thursday, December 13th, the completed character chart that corresponds to the novel will be due. This chart will help show the dynamic characters in the novel.
We will continue with our look at author's perspective as we begin to structure an essay that uses the graphic organizer we have already applied to different articles we read last week. Students will watch a powerpoint in class this week on evaluating arguments, that will help when working on the essay. We will use the article on 'Bottled Water' to model this essay. There will be some class time dedicated to this and the completed essay will be due December 19th, right before winter break.
We will continue with our Roots packet - with the next unit that includes the list "All Things Great and Small." The list is on vocabulary.com that covers these words. Students should get 50% mastery this week,, with close to 100%mastery next week. There also is a list available on vocabulary.com that corresponds to the last part of Under the Blood Red Sun. Both of these lists can be used to accumulate tally 'points' on vocabulary.com. Our students have really been adding up those points!
Students should continue with their Independent Reading Choice Book. This will be due after winter break. With vacation coming hopefully students will get to read at least one book of their choice. Students should be reading 20 minutes a night. This should be completed by Wednesday, January 9th.
We will continue with our look at author's perspective as we begin to structure an essay that uses the graphic organizer we have already applied to different articles we read last week. Students will watch a powerpoint in class this week on evaluating arguments, that will help when working on the essay. We will use the article on 'Bottled Water' to model this essay. There will be some class time dedicated to this and the completed essay will be due December 19th, right before winter break.
We will continue with our Roots packet - with the next unit that includes the list "All Things Great and Small." The list is on vocabulary.com that covers these words. Students should get 50% mastery this week,, with close to 100%mastery next week. There also is a list available on vocabulary.com that corresponds to the last part of Under the Blood Red Sun. Both of these lists can be used to accumulate tally 'points' on vocabulary.com. Our students have really been adding up those points!
Students should continue with their Independent Reading Choice Book. This will be due after winter break. With vacation coming hopefully students will get to read at least one book of their choice. Students should be reading 20 minutes a night. This should be completed by Wednesday, January 9th.
L.A. for the week of December 3rd:
This week we will continue reading Under the Blood Red Sun, by Graham Salsbury. Chapters 9 - 16 should be read this week. Students should read, annotate and complete the chapter summaries. There will be corresponding comprehension questions. We will go over discussion questions in class. We will be completing our reading of this novel before winter break. Students will also be completing a reflection piece on their reading.
We will continue with vocabulary.com this week with students working to achieve 100% mastery with the list Beside, Beyond & Among. Also, the list for Under the Blood Red Sun chapters 9 - 16 will be available on vocabulary.com for students to master.
We will continue to work on Author's Perspective as we read a variety of articles including Flying Through the Water, and Just for the Thrill of It. Students will be reading the articles and answer questions.
Students should continue with their Independent Reading Choice Book. This will be due after winter break. With vacation coming hopefully students will get to read at least one book of their choice. This should be completed by Wednesday, January 9th.
We will continue with vocabulary.com this week with students working to achieve 100% mastery with the list Beside, Beyond & Among. Also, the list for Under the Blood Red Sun chapters 9 - 16 will be available on vocabulary.com for students to master.
We will continue to work on Author's Perspective as we read a variety of articles including Flying Through the Water, and Just for the Thrill of It. Students will be reading the articles and answer questions.
Students should continue with their Independent Reading Choice Book. This will be due after winter break. With vacation coming hopefully students will get to read at least one book of their choice. This should be completed by Wednesday, January 9th.
L.A. for the week of November 26th:
This week we will introduce a powerful novel by Graham Salisbury, Under the Blood Red Sun, that focuses on a story of discrimination and war, along with loyalty and patriotism. We will be reading this over the next 3 weeks. This week we will look at some literary elements, including exposition, conflict, point of view and characterization. The novel will be distributed on Monday and this week students will be reading pages 1 - 87 (Chapters 1 - 8) . The first week's reading & responses will be due on Monday, December 3rd.
This week we will introduce our next literary topic - Argument writing. Students will study what this involves, and later will complete an essay using this format and learn about how opinion can lead to controversy. This week we will go over some of the basics and read some examples. Students will take a pre-assessment to see what they already know about this topic. We also will be reading and responding to a Newsela article, "Tomato Pickers Win Support of Huge Markets to Improve Conditions."
This week students will be presenting their Notable / Noteworthy At Home projects. This should be just a short presentation (2 - 3 minutes), that includes some information about their person and what went into creating their project. This will provide an opportunity for other students to learn about the different subjects, along with completing their research.
Students had an opportunity to pick out a new choice book last week for their next Independent Reading option. They should bring this choice book to class each day. It should be completed by Thursday, December 20th.
This week we will introduce our next literary topic - Argument writing. Students will study what this involves, and later will complete an essay using this format and learn about how opinion can lead to controversy. This week we will go over some of the basics and read some examples. Students will take a pre-assessment to see what they already know about this topic. We also will be reading and responding to a Newsela article, "Tomato Pickers Win Support of Huge Markets to Improve Conditions."
This week students will be presenting their Notable / Noteworthy At Home projects. This should be just a short presentation (2 - 3 minutes), that includes some information about their person and what went into creating their project. This will provide an opportunity for other students to learn about the different subjects, along with completing their research.
Students had an opportunity to pick out a new choice book last week for their next Independent Reading option. They should bring this choice book to class each day. It should be completed by Thursday, December 20th.
L.A. for the week of November 12th:
We will be spending some bell work time this week on the use of commas. We also will be working on use of transitions and conclusions in the writing process. There will be an interactive powerpoint as students practice different transitions into their writing. We will look at conclusions and broader significance in expository essays. The use of commas, transitions, and effective conclusions will be expected as students work on their Notable and Noteworthy research paper.
Students will continue to work on their Notable & Noteworthy research papers that was started last week in class. We will have an opportunity to conference as students move along from their pre-write graphic organizers to completing their research papers this work. Last week we dedicated some class time to learning about thesis statements as part of the expository essay. All parts will need to be printed out and submitted this Thursday, November 15th. This includes the graphic organizer, the 5 paragraph essay, with the Works Cited page, and the rubric. Last week students learned about how to use Noodle Tools. This online resource will help with completing the Works Cited page. As part of learning about the Expository Essay students are assigned 14 vocabulary words from vocabulary.com. This should be completed this week as well.
As part of the Notable & Noteworthy research students were assigned an At-Home Project that involved different hands on / visual options to share about their chosen person. The specifics of this assignment can be found on Google Classroom. The final project will be due Tuesday, November 27th. There will be progress monitoring check ins on Monday, November 12th, and Monday, November 19th.
This week we will be reading the classic Ray Bradbury science fiction story, Sound of Thunder. We will be annotating this story as we look at the different literary elements, including cause and effect, characterization, theme, and plot.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen on this Friday, November 16th.
Students will continue to work on their Notable & Noteworthy research papers that was started last week in class. We will have an opportunity to conference as students move along from their pre-write graphic organizers to completing their research papers this work. Last week we dedicated some class time to learning about thesis statements as part of the expository essay. All parts will need to be printed out and submitted this Thursday, November 15th. This includes the graphic organizer, the 5 paragraph essay, with the Works Cited page, and the rubric. Last week students learned about how to use Noodle Tools. This online resource will help with completing the Works Cited page. As part of learning about the Expository Essay students are assigned 14 vocabulary words from vocabulary.com. This should be completed this week as well.
As part of the Notable & Noteworthy research students were assigned an At-Home Project that involved different hands on / visual options to share about their chosen person. The specifics of this assignment can be found on Google Classroom. The final project will be due Tuesday, November 27th. There will be progress monitoring check ins on Monday, November 12th, and Monday, November 19th.
This week we will be reading the classic Ray Bradbury science fiction story, Sound of Thunder. We will be annotating this story as we look at the different literary elements, including cause and effect, characterization, theme, and plot.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen on this Friday, November 16th.
L.A. for the week of November 5th:
We will begin this week with students completing an in-class 'Independent Check Test.' This is applying material learned over the past quarter. Students worked last week on completing a study guide to help them review the material we learned. A hard copy of the study guide can be used to assist while responding to the questions in class on Monday. Students will be given 3 different selections to compare and contrast using different literary elements. Along with 5 multiple choice questions there will be a multi-paragraph essay to complete in class.
For homework this week students need to complete a NoRedInk assignment about commas. This will be due on Friday, November 9th.
We will devote some class time this week to completing the Notable /Noteworthy Research assignment. Last week students worked on the research portion. Mrs. Ungier came it to show how to site sources using NoodleTools. This will help as we complete the works cited page of the assignment this week. Students will compile their research into an expository essay. We have been going over what that entails. This week we will take time to look closer at constructing a proper thesis statement, as part of this assignment.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this next quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen next month, on Friday, November 16 th.
For homework this week students need to complete a NoRedInk assignment about commas. This will be due on Friday, November 9th.
We will devote some class time this week to completing the Notable /Noteworthy Research assignment. Last week students worked on the research portion. Mrs. Ungier came it to show how to site sources using NoodleTools. This will help as we complete the works cited page of the assignment this week. Students will compile their research into an expository essay. We have been going over what that entails. This week we will take time to look closer at constructing a proper thesis statement, as part of this assignment.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this next quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen next month, on Friday, November 16 th.
L.A. for the week of October 29th:
This week students will have another opportunity to work with Common Lit, an online resource tool, with an article about Jackie Robinson. This article includes guided reading, along with multiple choice and an extended response question. We will review last week's article on "The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing." This will be due on Thursday, November 1st.
We will begin a research project this week. Students will be learning about a person who has had to overcome adversity. They will learn the research process that includes discovering authentic sources along with how to use Noodle Tools, an electronic note taking device. Students will have some class time to investigate their chosen subject.
We will complete some class work on commas this week, looking at the different ways commas are used in writing. This week we also will look at how to construct a thesis statement.
This Tuesday, October 30th, there will be a vocabulary quiz covering the last 2 lists - unit 4 - All Together (co, col, com,con,syn, & sym) , and unit 3 - 'Coming Thru' (dia & per).
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this next quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen next month, on Friday, November 20th.
We will begin a research project this week. Students will be learning about a person who has had to overcome adversity. They will learn the research process that includes discovering authentic sources along with how to use Noodle Tools, an electronic note taking device. Students will have some class time to investigate their chosen subject.
We will complete some class work on commas this week, looking at the different ways commas are used in writing. This week we also will look at how to construct a thesis statement.
This Tuesday, October 30th, there will be a vocabulary quiz covering the last 2 lists - unit 4 - All Together (co, col, com,con,syn, & sym) , and unit 3 - 'Coming Thru' (dia & per).
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this next quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen next month, on Friday, November 20th.
L.A. for the week of October 22nd:
This week we are starting off the second quarter as we finish off the graphic organizer for our RAE #2 essay. This should be completed in class on Monday. This graphic organizer will be the foundation for creating the essay that is due this Friday, October 26th.
This week students will be introduced to an online resource - CommonLit that fits with our Common Core Standards. Students will be assigned an article, "The 16th Street Baptist Church." Along with reading the article they will need to answer some companion questions. The structure of the questions on this site align with the AIR tests that are coming next Spring.
This week students will be assigned the second part of unit 4 - 'All Together' word list of roots & stems on Vocabulary.com. This week students are to achieve 100% mastery. There will be a quiz covering the last 2 lists - unit 4 - All Together (co, col, com,con,syn, & sym) , and unit 3 - 'Coming Thru' (dia & per) next Tuesday, October 30th.
This week we will take some class time to look at 'Compare and Contrast' as a part of the writing and literature we will be covering in class. We also will be learning about Thesis Statements, the Parts of an Essay, and Paraphrasing vs. Plagiarism, as we move ahead. As part of the Compare / Contrast piece will be wrapping up our companion book that students have been reading in class. The 2 choices are Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges or We've Got a Job, by Cynthia Levinson. The chart students have been working on for their chosen book will be due this week as well.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this next quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen next month, on Friday, November 30th.
This week students will be introduced to an online resource - CommonLit that fits with our Common Core Standards. Students will be assigned an article, "The 16th Street Baptist Church." Along with reading the article they will need to answer some companion questions. The structure of the questions on this site align with the AIR tests that are coming next Spring.
This week students will be assigned the second part of unit 4 - 'All Together' word list of roots & stems on Vocabulary.com. This week students are to achieve 100% mastery. There will be a quiz covering the last 2 lists - unit 4 - All Together (co, col, com,con,syn, & sym) , and unit 3 - 'Coming Thru' (dia & per) next Tuesday, October 30th.
This week we will take some class time to look at 'Compare and Contrast' as a part of the writing and literature we will be covering in class. We also will be learning about Thesis Statements, the Parts of an Essay, and Paraphrasing vs. Plagiarism, as we move ahead. As part of the Compare / Contrast piece will be wrapping up our companion book that students have been reading in class. The 2 choices are Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges or We've Got a Job, by Cynthia Levinson. The chart students have been working on for their chosen book will be due this week as well.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book for this next quarter. As before they should choose a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. No graphic novels for this month. There will be an AR quiz on the book chosen next month, on Friday, November 30th.
L.A. for the week of October 15th:
We are starting out the week with Mrs. Gealy, our guidance counselor, coming into all the Language Arts classes to share a lesson on anti-bullying. This is important information that is sure to be meaningful for all our students.
Students should be completing their RACER(S) paragraph that was started last week on character change in The Cay. This is due on Tuesday, October 16, 2018.
An application of the plot curve is assigned as students are to watch a Pixar video : For the Birds. They will fill out the graphic organizer identifying the different steps in the plot curve for this story. The completed graphic organizer will be due this Friday, October 19th.
This week we will be introducing the idea of compare / contrast in literature, as we look at some other writing as companion pieces to our reading of The Cay. They are different in their structure, but share some important similarities in their content. Students will be assigned one of these books to read in class over the next week. One book is Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges. The other book is We've Got a Job, by Cynthia Levinson. As students read they will be taking notes and completing a chart comparing and contrasting to The Cay.
Students will be completing a few wrap-up activities from our study of The Cay. One is a theme poster that will be completed this week in class. Students will identify the theme and include 3 pieces of evidence as support. Students will also be filling out a plot curve that will mark the key parts of the story, including the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
The Reading Analysis Essay (RAE) #2 will be assigned this week. This assignment will provide an opportunity for students to take all the readings from our Acceptance Unit and pull information using blended quotes as they show how summary connects to theme. We will be introducing it this week and it will be due next Friday, October 24th.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by this Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book. Last week our librarian, Mrs. Ungier, introduced SORA, an online resource where students can "check out" e-book books from public libraries in the area. Students will be able to read these books on their numerous devices. There is an audio component as well. Students were shown how to use this. To encourage use of this resource there is a contest sponsored by our library for those trying out SORA. More information can be found on the Beachwood home page as well as my website: languageartswithmrsgoodman.weebly.com/sora.html
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Students should be completing their RACER(S) paragraph that was started last week on character change in The Cay. This is due on Tuesday, October 16, 2018.
An application of the plot curve is assigned as students are to watch a Pixar video : For the Birds. They will fill out the graphic organizer identifying the different steps in the plot curve for this story. The completed graphic organizer will be due this Friday, October 19th.
This week we will be introducing the idea of compare / contrast in literature, as we look at some other writing as companion pieces to our reading of The Cay. They are different in their structure, but share some important similarities in their content. Students will be assigned one of these books to read in class over the next week. One book is Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges. The other book is We've Got a Job, by Cynthia Levinson. As students read they will be taking notes and completing a chart comparing and contrasting to The Cay.
Students will be completing a few wrap-up activities from our study of The Cay. One is a theme poster that will be completed this week in class. Students will identify the theme and include 3 pieces of evidence as support. Students will also be filling out a plot curve that will mark the key parts of the story, including the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution.
The Reading Analysis Essay (RAE) #2 will be assigned this week. This assignment will provide an opportunity for students to take all the readings from our Acceptance Unit and pull information using blended quotes as they show how summary connects to theme. We will be introducing it this week and it will be due next Friday, October 24th.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by this Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book. Last week our librarian, Mrs. Ungier, introduced SORA, an online resource where students can "check out" e-book books from public libraries in the area. Students will be able to read these books on their numerous devices. There is an audio component as well. Students were shown how to use this. To encourage use of this resource there is a contest sponsored by our library for those trying out SORA. More information can be found on the Beachwood home page as well as my website: languageartswithmrsgoodman.weebly.com/sora.html
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L.A. for the week for October 8th:
This week the plan is to hopefully finish our reading of The Cay, by the end of this week. Students should be annotating as they read, along with completing the chapter summaries in the book.
The reading this week should be broken up:
For Tuesday - chapters 12 & 13
For Wednesday - chapters 14 & 15
For Thursday - chapters 16 & 17
For Friday- chapters 18 & 19
Along with reading the novel we will discuss the summary chart and the character trait chart. Students will work on these in class together.
We will examine the 4 different types of conflict, and look at how they connect to The Cay. Students will complete a RACE paragraph - 'What's in a Name.' Students will start this in class, and it will be completed at home. Some other literary elements we will address are theme, plot, and characterization as the novel comes to a close. Students will also have a lesson on blending quotes, as that will be part of the criteria for the next essay coming soon.
This Wednesday all 6th grade students will have an opportunity to participate together in a live stream video with Linda Sue Park and Salva Dut, from our summer reading novel, Long Walk to Water.
Students should continue with their vocabulary.com. Last week students started with 'Coming Through' - words that begin with the prefixes 'dia ' & 'per.' This week students should master the list of 15 words on vocabulary.com.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book. Last week our librarian, Mrs. Ungier, introduced SORA, an online resource where students can "check out" e-book books from public libraries in the area. Students will be able to read these books on their numerous devices. There is an audio component as well. Students were shown how to use this. To encourage use of this resource there is a contest sponsored by our library for those trying out SORA. More information can be found on the Beachwood home page as well as my website: languageartswithmrsgoodman.weebly.com/sora.html
The reading this week should be broken up:
For Tuesday - chapters 12 & 13
For Wednesday - chapters 14 & 15
For Thursday - chapters 16 & 17
For Friday- chapters 18 & 19
Along with reading the novel we will discuss the summary chart and the character trait chart. Students will work on these in class together.
We will examine the 4 different types of conflict, and look at how they connect to The Cay. Students will complete a RACE paragraph - 'What's in a Name.' Students will start this in class, and it will be completed at home. Some other literary elements we will address are theme, plot, and characterization as the novel comes to a close. Students will also have a lesson on blending quotes, as that will be part of the criteria for the next essay coming soon.
This Wednesday all 6th grade students will have an opportunity to participate together in a live stream video with Linda Sue Park and Salva Dut, from our summer reading novel, Long Walk to Water.
Students should continue with their vocabulary.com. Last week students started with 'Coming Through' - words that begin with the prefixes 'dia ' & 'per.' This week students should master the list of 15 words on vocabulary.com.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book. Last week our librarian, Mrs. Ungier, introduced SORA, an online resource where students can "check out" e-book books from public libraries in the area. Students will be able to read these books on their numerous devices. There is an audio component as well. Students were shown how to use this. To encourage use of this resource there is a contest sponsored by our library for those trying out SORA. More information can be found on the Beachwood home page as well as my website: languageartswithmrsgoodman.weebly.com/sora.html
L.A. for the week of October 1st:
We will begin this week introducing the new Roots unit 3 - looking at words that mean 'Coming Through.' The words begin with prefixes 'dia,'& 'per.' Students will use the Red Hot Roots packet, along with vocabulary.com and Classtools to help learn these words. The packet pages will be due this Thursday.
Last week students began reading Theodore Taylor's classic novel, The Cay. Students should come in to class on Monday having read through chapter 4. As they are reading the novel, students have been instructed to annotate the book, looking for key literary elements,, including setting, plot, theme, characterization, vocabulary, and the signposts we learned earlier. This week we will look closely at characterization and how that impacts plot. They will fill out a summary chart as a companion piece to their reading, that will submitted at the end of the novel. By the end of this week, on Friday, students should complete the reading through chapter 11.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book. Last week our librarian, Mrs. Ungier, introduced SORA, an online resource where students can "check out" e-book books from public libraries in the area. Students will be able to read these books on their numerous devices. There is an audio component as well. Students were shown how to use this. To encourage use of this resource there is a contest sponsored by our library for those trying out SORA. More information can be found on the Beachwood home page as well as my website: languageartswithmrsgoodman.weebly.com/sora.html
Last week students began reading Theodore Taylor's classic novel, The Cay. Students should come in to class on Monday having read through chapter 4. As they are reading the novel, students have been instructed to annotate the book, looking for key literary elements,, including setting, plot, theme, characterization, vocabulary, and the signposts we learned earlier. This week we will look closely at characterization and how that impacts plot. They will fill out a summary chart as a companion piece to their reading, that will submitted at the end of the novel. By the end of this week, on Friday, students should complete the reading through chapter 11.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book. Last week our librarian, Mrs. Ungier, introduced SORA, an online resource where students can "check out" e-book books from public libraries in the area. Students will be able to read these books on their numerous devices. There is an audio component as well. Students were shown how to use this. To encourage use of this resource there is a contest sponsored by our library for those trying out SORA. More information can be found on the Beachwood home page as well as my website: languageartswithmrsgoodman.weebly.com/sora.html
L.A. for the week of September 24th:
' We will begin this week with our Roots quiz- covering units 1 & 2 (20 words). This will be taken online, during class on Monday, September 24th.
This week students will be introduced to EdCite, an online program that is aligned with the common core and is a useful tool to reinforce some of the literary elements we will be learning this year. This week the assignment is 9 questions covering figurative language. This assignment is due this Thursday, September 27th.
We will be wrapping up our latest Survival Warm-Up story that we have been working on as bell work in class. This is a nonfiction piece about Bethany Hamilton.
This week we will take some class time to do some pre-reading activities connecting to the upcoming class novel The Cay, by Theodore Taylor. We will use this powerful novel to support our acceptance unit that will begin this week. Each student will receive a copy of the novel to annotate, as we are studying this as a piece of literature, looking at all the signposts and literary elements we are learning about in class. The goal is to get through the first 4 chapters this week. There is audio available as well.
A video that will look at the story of 'Ernest Green and the Little Rock Nine' will tie into this unit as well. We will take notes as students apply some of the key words we discussed last week: stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, & segregation. We will be referencing these notes as we move along in the Acceptance Unit.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book.
This week students will be introduced to EdCite, an online program that is aligned with the common core and is a useful tool to reinforce some of the literary elements we will be learning this year. This week the assignment is 9 questions covering figurative language. This assignment is due this Thursday, September 27th.
We will be wrapping up our latest Survival Warm-Up story that we have been working on as bell work in class. This is a nonfiction piece about Bethany Hamilton.
This week we will take some class time to do some pre-reading activities connecting to the upcoming class novel The Cay, by Theodore Taylor. We will use this powerful novel to support our acceptance unit that will begin this week. Each student will receive a copy of the novel to annotate, as we are studying this as a piece of literature, looking at all the signposts and literary elements we are learning about in class. The goal is to get through the first 4 chapters this week. There is audio available as well.
A video that will look at the story of 'Ernest Green and the Little Rock Nine' will tie into this unit as well. We will take notes as students apply some of the key words we discussed last week: stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, & segregation. We will be referencing these notes as we move along in the Acceptance Unit.
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book.
L.A. for the week of September 17th:
This week we will be introducing our Acceptance Unit with a variety of activities relating to this overall theme. Students will be reading an article from Newsela, called"Race Not Completely Defined by DNA." Students will also be seeing a video, taking notes and answering some questions that connect to the text. They will also create a RACE paragraph with a prompt that connects to the article.
We will look at some of the vocabulary we will be using in this unit as we examine the terms: Bias, Stereotype, Prejudice, Discrimination, and Segregation. Some other readings include article about Elizabeth Eckford, "When School was Scary." and parts of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. We also will be watching The Ernest Greene Story that ties into Acceptance Unit.
For homework students will continue with our No Red Ink online program, as students complete the second part of Sentence Structure. There are 4 parts to this assignment. This will be due this Friday, September 21st.
Just a reminder: There will be a Red Hot Roots Quiz, on units 1 (Forward & Backward) & 2 (Around & Around), on Monday, September 24th. Students can use the online tools, vocabulary.com & classtools (under online sites / online games on this weebly site.)
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Again students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book.
We will look at some of the vocabulary we will be using in this unit as we examine the terms: Bias, Stereotype, Prejudice, Discrimination, and Segregation. Some other readings include article about Elizabeth Eckford, "When School was Scary." and parts of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. We also will be watching The Ernest Greene Story that ties into Acceptance Unit.
For homework students will continue with our No Red Ink online program, as students complete the second part of Sentence Structure. There are 4 parts to this assignment. This will be due this Friday, September 21st.
Just a reminder: There will be a Red Hot Roots Quiz, on units 1 (Forward & Backward) & 2 (Around & Around), on Monday, September 24th. Students can use the online tools, vocabulary.com & classtools (under online sites / online games on this weebly site.)
Students should continue with their independent reading choice book. Again students should be reading a book that they have not yet read, that is appropriate for their particular reading level. At least one book should be completed by Friday, October 19, which takes us to the end of the first quarter. There will be an AR test given on that day that corresponds to their chosen book.
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L.A. for the week of September 10th:
This week we will be looking at literary elements of poetry. We will start out with an introduction to poetry powerpoint, with students responding. Students will apply these poetic elements to Mei Yao Ch'en's poem "I Remember." Students will be rewriting the poem in their own words. We will begin this in class and then complete it for homework. This look at poetry will carry over throughout the year as we revisit these elements looking at a variety of poetry, from classics to more contemporary examples.
We will take some class time this week to review the Study Island assignment on inferences that was assigned last week and is due this Tuesday, September 11th.
We will begin our Acceptance unit this week, as we look at a Newsela article about DNA similarities across the world in an article, "Don't Jump to Conclusions."
Students will continue with their Red Hot Roots packet as we complete unit 2, looking at prefixes that mean Around and Around. Students will start this in class and the remainder will be completed as homework. There will be a quiz on the first 2 roots units, September 24th. Students will practice using the online tools vocabulary.com and some online games on this weebly site.
Students will learn about the online program, No Red Ink. This resource looks at variety of Common Core Standards in the areas of reading and writing. This week students will have practice with sentence structure, as they complete 'Components of a Sentence - parts 1 & 2. We will work on this in class. If not completed it will be due on Friday, September 14th
This week we are wrapping up our first independent reader's choice book . We have built in some class time for students to read, but they should also try to incorporate reading into their routine by reading at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. At least one choice book should be completed by this Friday, September 14th. Students will be taking an AR test on their book. As students continue to read, the next independent reading requirement should be completed by Friday, October 12th.
We will take some class time this week to review the Study Island assignment on inferences that was assigned last week and is due this Tuesday, September 11th.
We will begin our Acceptance unit this week, as we look at a Newsela article about DNA similarities across the world in an article, "Don't Jump to Conclusions."
Students will continue with their Red Hot Roots packet as we complete unit 2, looking at prefixes that mean Around and Around. Students will start this in class and the remainder will be completed as homework. There will be a quiz on the first 2 roots units, September 24th. Students will practice using the online tools vocabulary.com and some online games on this weebly site.
Students will learn about the online program, No Red Ink. This resource looks at variety of Common Core Standards in the areas of reading and writing. This week students will have practice with sentence structure, as they complete 'Components of a Sentence - parts 1 & 2. We will work on this in class. If not completed it will be due on Friday, September 14th
This week we are wrapping up our first independent reader's choice book . We have built in some class time for students to read, but they should also try to incorporate reading into their routine by reading at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. At least one choice book should be completed by this Friday, September 14th. Students will be taking an AR test on their book. As students continue to read, the next independent reading requirement should be completed by Friday, October 12th.
L.A. for the week of September 4th:
This week we will continue our look at the Notice & Notes: Signposts. By the end of the week we will have studied the 6 different Signposts: Contrasts & Contradictions, Again & Again, Words of the Wiser, Tough Questions, Aha Moment, and Memory Moment. These Signposts are signals used by the author to help the reader to comprehend more complex text. We will be applying this tool through the year as we assign different readings in class.
We will continue with our Study Island this week with a homework assignment on Inferences. This is 2b) on the list of topics. There are 10 questions. To get full credit students should try to get at least a 70%, or better. If they are not able to get to 70%, they should work on the topic for at least 30 minutes to get the credit. This will be due next Tuesday, September 11th.
This week students will be assigned their first RAE writing assignment. RAE stands for Reading Analysis Essay. We will go over all the details in class on Monday. Students will get a guided overview of the requirements. They also will be provided with a model to help them put all the parts together. This is all on Google Classroom. This assignment will be due this Friday, September 7th.
We also will take come time this week to look at annotations, and elaboration with some in class work. We will apply these literary tools, using some examples of close reading.
Students should have chosen their independent reader's choice book by this time. We have built in some class time for students to read, but they should also try to incorporate reading into their routine by reading at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. At least one choice book should be completed by Friday, September 14th.
We will continue with our Study Island this week with a homework assignment on Inferences. This is 2b) on the list of topics. There are 10 questions. To get full credit students should try to get at least a 70%, or better. If they are not able to get to 70%, they should work on the topic for at least 30 minutes to get the credit. This will be due next Tuesday, September 11th.
This week students will be assigned their first RAE writing assignment. RAE stands for Reading Analysis Essay. We will go over all the details in class on Monday. Students will get a guided overview of the requirements. They also will be provided with a model to help them put all the parts together. This is all on Google Classroom. This assignment will be due this Friday, September 7th.
We also will take come time this week to look at annotations, and elaboration with some in class work. We will apply these literary tools, using some examples of close reading.
Students should have chosen their independent reader's choice book by this time. We have built in some class time for students to read, but they should also try to incorporate reading into their routine by reading at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. At least one choice book should be completed by Friday, September 14th.
L.A. for the week of August 27th:
This week we will start off introducing Study Island to the Language Arts classes. Study Island is an online program used by over 14 million students in the United States. It is used as an assessment tool to help students master the Ohio State Standards and help prepare for the AIR tests next Spring. This week L.A. classes will take the Study Island diagnostic pretest. There will be time allowed in class for students to finish.
Students will be completing a lesson on inferencing in class this week. We will apply this process as we look for clues and evidence in our reading. This will take us to a powerpoint and lesson on close reading, when we look at steps to help students dig deeper as students read and put together different texts. We will be using Scholastic Magazine in class this week as we read a story called "The Mission," about traveling to the planet Mars. Students will apply inferencing and close reading, as we read this story together
Last week we introduced the R.A.C.E. response strategy, that is used to help students thoroughly address any prompt with ample support and details. This week students will apply that strategy to a prompt from the Long Walk to Water about theme. They will have class time to complete this on Monday. If it is not finished in class then it will be due on Tuesday.
This week we will introduce our Red Hot Roots program, where students will be using Latin and Greek roots and stems, in a packet that contains the first 8 units of this vocabulary program. There are a variety of activities as part of each unit, including use of our new online resource vocabulary.com.
Students will apply inferencing and close reading to a homework assignment, with the "History of the Potato Chip," a nonfiction piece, by Mark Aaron. This will be due on Friday.
Students should have chosen their independent reader's choice book by this time. We have built in some class time for students to read, but they should also try to incorporate reading into their routine by reading at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. At least one choice book should be completed by Friday, September 14th.
Students will be completing a lesson on inferencing in class this week. We will apply this process as we look for clues and evidence in our reading. This will take us to a powerpoint and lesson on close reading, when we look at steps to help students dig deeper as students read and put together different texts. We will be using Scholastic Magazine in class this week as we read a story called "The Mission," about traveling to the planet Mars. Students will apply inferencing and close reading, as we read this story together
Last week we introduced the R.A.C.E. response strategy, that is used to help students thoroughly address any prompt with ample support and details. This week students will apply that strategy to a prompt from the Long Walk to Water about theme. They will have class time to complete this on Monday. If it is not finished in class then it will be due on Tuesday.
This week we will introduce our Red Hot Roots program, where students will be using Latin and Greek roots and stems, in a packet that contains the first 8 units of this vocabulary program. There are a variety of activities as part of each unit, including use of our new online resource vocabulary.com.
Students will apply inferencing and close reading to a homework assignment, with the "History of the Potato Chip," a nonfiction piece, by Mark Aaron. This will be due on Friday.
Students should have chosen their independent reader's choice book by this time. We have built in some class time for students to read, but they should also try to incorporate reading into their routine by reading at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. At least one choice book should be completed by Friday, September 14th.
L.A. for the week of August 20th:
Students will take some class time to create responses to their summer reading. We will be using the online Accelerated Reader tests connected to their two summer reading books. We also will be taking some class time to create a written response to these books. One of the books read was A Long Walk to Water and the other was a choice from four different options. We will begin the week as students complete a summary of their choice book. Throughout the next few weeks we will be completing other activities connected to A Long Walk to Water.
** Students should bring in their summer reading notes and the books. The notes are port of the summer reading requirement. They are able to use these notesto help for their in class response to their books.
We will take some class time this week to we introduce our Red Hot Roots Program that we will be using throughout this year. This is part of our vocabulary study of Latin and Greek roots and stems. The first unit looks at words using 'pro' and 'retro' - meaning backward and forward. During the week we will learn about these roots and generate new words connecting to them. Some of the roots activities will be done for homework.
Students will have an assignment in Newsela, one of our online resources that creates articles that are topical and appropriate for our middle school students. Students will be reading and responding to an article about the school that was started by LeBron James. They will be reading an answering questions.
We also will be working on an autobiographical poem that is part of our Selfie-Swirl project. Students will be working on this throughout the week, and they will be on display in the classroom.
We will be learning about summary and theme as it helps us define different literature. We will be examining the application of the graphic organizer "Somebody... Wanted... But... So... Then," as it connects to the different literary elements. This will be a transition into a three paragraph essay that students will be completing this week in class.
** Students should bring in their summer reading notes and the books. The notes are port of the summer reading requirement. They are able to use these notesto help for their in class response to their books.
We will take some class time this week to we introduce our Red Hot Roots Program that we will be using throughout this year. This is part of our vocabulary study of Latin and Greek roots and stems. The first unit looks at words using 'pro' and 'retro' - meaning backward and forward. During the week we will learn about these roots and generate new words connecting to them. Some of the roots activities will be done for homework.
Students will have an assignment in Newsela, one of our online resources that creates articles that are topical and appropriate for our middle school students. Students will be reading and responding to an article about the school that was started by LeBron James. They will be reading an answering questions.
We also will be working on an autobiographical poem that is part of our Selfie-Swirl project. Students will be working on this throughout the week, and they will be on display in the classroom.
We will be learning about summary and theme as it helps us define different literature. We will be examining the application of the graphic organizer "Somebody... Wanted... But... So... Then," as it connects to the different literary elements. This will be a transition into a three paragraph essay that students will be completing this week in class.