Projects: Worked on Bill of Rights posters with partners
We will have a test on Wednesday over vocabulary terms related to the Constitutional Convention, as well as an essay question over The Virginia Plan, The New Jersey Plan and The Great Compromise.
8th Grade Reading: We watched "The Week in Rap" and discussed current events. We also read chapter 1 in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
7th Grade Reading: Same as 8th
Writing: New root of the week (dys) and we worked on our encyclopedia entries
Please send stocking stuffers by Thursday. We will stuff them before lunch.
Please send in new pajamas for children in need by Thursday, December 17.
We will watch "Elf" on Thursday afternoon. Please let me know if you do not want your child to participate in this and I will find an alternate activity for them. Students are allowed to bring snacks to enjoy, and I will have some popcorn to share.
Happy Holidays!!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Projects: We are continuing our study of American government. Today we started a movie called "In Order to Form a More Perfect Union." It's a complete reenactment of the Constitutional Convention and all of the issues that arose there. So far it's been fantastic! On Wednesday we will start a mini project, in which students will partner up and research, write about and illustrate one of the first ten amendments. I am hoping to have these completed by Thursday after the block, but we will see. There will be a test on government terms and concepts next week. I am planning the test for either Monday or Tuesday, but I have to see how far we get this week. I have front-loaded all vocabulary and told the students what to be prepared for as far as open ended essays go.
7th and 8th Grade Reading: We watch "The Week in Rap" today and discussed the many current events. As always, the students had impressive points to make.
Writing: We are almost finished with our "Day in the Life of....." essays. I am quite impressed with the creative writing talent that exists in this classroom. They are writing well-developed narratives and are keeping it tight!!! "Keep it Tight" is my catch phrase for 7th grade narrative writing. Ask the kids what I mean by that.
Homework:
Students need to be studying for their projects test scheduled for next week. Also, Flocabulary will come home tomorrow and will be due Wednesday. It's just one page. This will be for 7th and 8th grade reading blocks.
Please remember to send in new pajamas if you are able.
7th and 8th Grade Reading: We watch "The Week in Rap" today and discussed the many current events. As always, the students had impressive points to make.
Writing: We are almost finished with our "Day in the Life of....." essays. I am quite impressed with the creative writing talent that exists in this classroom. They are writing well-developed narratives and are keeping it tight!!! "Keep it Tight" is my catch phrase for 7th grade narrative writing. Ask the kids what I mean by that.
Homework:
Students need to be studying for their projects test scheduled for next week. Also, Flocabulary will come home tomorrow and will be due Wednesday. It's just one page. This will be for 7th and 8th grade reading blocks.
Please remember to send in new pajamas if you are able.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday, November 30, 2015
Projects: We started our study of American government today. We will move from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, along with government structure. This will be covered over the next 3 weeks.
7th and 8th Grade Reading: Our Week in Rap covered ISIS and the attacks that have occurred over the last several weeks. We had strong, serious discussions.
Writing: Students started brainstorming and creating quick sketches for a "day in the life of..." narratives. They will choose any object or person and write a one page narrative detailing a day in the life of it. I read them a mentor text called "A Day in the Life of a Cell" so they could visualize structure and start generating ideas. I am seeing some FABULOUS ideas and can't wait to see what they come up with. Narrative writing is typically harder than informative (even though it's more fun), so we will take all of this slowly. During writing we also worked on sentence diagramming and had free writing time.
Homework: 7th and 8th both have Flocabulary due Thursday
Don't forget the pajama drive that student council is doing this month! We are collecting brand new pajamas for the Scholastic Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive. Pajamas are being stored in my room and student council members will see that they get sent off to the appropriate spot on December 18. Thank you so much for your support!
7th and 8th Grade Reading: Our Week in Rap covered ISIS and the attacks that have occurred over the last several weeks. We had strong, serious discussions.
Writing: Students started brainstorming and creating quick sketches for a "day in the life of..." narratives. They will choose any object or person and write a one page narrative detailing a day in the life of it. I read them a mentor text called "A Day in the Life of a Cell" so they could visualize structure and start generating ideas. I am seeing some FABULOUS ideas and can't wait to see what they come up with. Narrative writing is typically harder than informative (even though it's more fun), so we will take all of this slowly. During writing we also worked on sentence diagramming and had free writing time.
Homework: 7th and 8th both have Flocabulary due Thursday
Don't forget the pajama drive that student council is doing this month! We are collecting brand new pajamas for the Scholastic Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive. Pajamas are being stored in my room and student council members will see that they get sent off to the appropriate spot on December 18. Thank you so much for your support!
Monday, November 23, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
Projects: Students practiced their presentations for tomorrow. Each group will present 5-6 slides from their ABC American Revolution project. Students will also be responsible for completing peer evalutations for all group members. The projects look great and I'm excited to see what they do tomorrow!
7th and 8th Grade Reading: Students put final touches on their American Revolution Book Club Final Projects. They will grade each other's projects tomorrow. They look AMAZING!
Writing: IXL practice and free write using narrative techniques. We will get into a larger narrative writing assignment after the holiday.
Class auction tomorrow (Tuesday)!
Students will not have homework from me over the Thanksgiving holiday. Please enjoy this time with family and friends. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to teach at this wonderful school. Every day is such a positive experience for me. Thank you for being the wonderful, supportive parents that you are!
Please don't forget to send in new pajamas for children in need if you are able. We will collect donations until December 17. Thank you!
7th and 8th Grade Reading: Students put final touches on their American Revolution Book Club Final Projects. They will grade each other's projects tomorrow. They look AMAZING!
Writing: IXL practice and free write using narrative techniques. We will get into a larger narrative writing assignment after the holiday.
Class auction tomorrow (Tuesday)!
Students will not have homework from me over the Thanksgiving holiday. Please enjoy this time with family and friends. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to teach at this wonderful school. Every day is such a positive experience for me. Thank you for being the wonderful, supportive parents that you are!
Please don't forget to send in new pajamas for children in need if you are able. We will collect donations until December 17. Thank you!
Monday, November 16, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Projects:
Students continued working on American Revolution ABC books. They are due at the end of the projects block on Thursday, Nov. 19.
8th Grade Reading:
Instead of Flocabulary, we talked about the events of last Friday in Paris. We had wonderful discussions and students stated their thoughts and opinions. We finished the class by working on class novel projects. Flocabulary needs to be read and listened to independently this week. There will be a quiz on Thursday.
7th Grade Reading:
Instead of Flocabulary, we talked about the events of last Friday in Paris. We had wonderful discussions and students stated their thoughts and opinions. We finished the class by working on class novel projects. Flocabulary needs to be read and listened to independently this week. There will be a quiz on Thursday.
Writing:
We talked about narrative writing components and students wrote from the perspective of pizza dough to get those juices flowing! Students also worked on our Root of the Week, which is "don."
We will continue with narrative writing until Christmas break.
Homework:
7th and 8th final Book Club Thoughts are due tomorrow, along with front page of the packet. A couple of groups have already finished their books. so they will not have thoughts due tomorrow.....but still the cover page.
7th and 8th watch Flocabulary and prepare for a quiz on Thursday
Class auction next Tuesday, November 24!!! Please send auction items in if you are able.
**We are really bonding as a class. This groups is so special and I am truly enjoying every day with them. Thank you so, so much for the opportunity to be a part of their lives.
Students continued working on American Revolution ABC books. They are due at the end of the projects block on Thursday, Nov. 19.
8th Grade Reading:
Instead of Flocabulary, we talked about the events of last Friday in Paris. We had wonderful discussions and students stated their thoughts and opinions. We finished the class by working on class novel projects. Flocabulary needs to be read and listened to independently this week. There will be a quiz on Thursday.
7th Grade Reading:
Instead of Flocabulary, we talked about the events of last Friday in Paris. We had wonderful discussions and students stated their thoughts and opinions. We finished the class by working on class novel projects. Flocabulary needs to be read and listened to independently this week. There will be a quiz on Thursday.
Writing:
We talked about narrative writing components and students wrote from the perspective of pizza dough to get those juices flowing! Students also worked on our Root of the Week, which is "don."
We will continue with narrative writing until Christmas break.
Homework:
7th and 8th final Book Club Thoughts are due tomorrow, along with front page of the packet. A couple of groups have already finished their books. so they will not have thoughts due tomorrow.....but still the cover page.
7th and 8th watch Flocabulary and prepare for a quiz on Thursday
Class auction next Tuesday, November 24!!! Please send auction items in if you are able.
**We are really bonding as a class. This groups is so special and I am truly enjoying every day with them. Thank you so, so much for the opportunity to be a part of their lives.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Projects: Students were given the final project for our American Revolution unit and put into groups to complete it. They will be creating an ABC digital book covering all aspects of the Revolution.
7th and 8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary--we watched this week's "Week in Rap" and held discussions. Students are working on going back into the text to check accuracy and make sure they are responding correctly to main ideas. Homework for both blocks is to complete all book club reading and do their "book club thoughts." Last week some responses did not meet expectations and students were asked to redo them in study hall. Students should be taking care to write thorough responses in all areas of the "book club thoughts" worksheet. Book Club thoughts are due both Tuesday and Thursday this week, and books need to be finished by next Tuesday.
Writing: We did a great TRIBES activity today called Tower Building. It was an activity based around nonverbal communication. Even the reflections were fantastic!
We will start narrative writing based in the American Revolution this week. Students need to put their creative thinking caps on and get to it! Our root of the week is "dict" and we will continue with IXL grammar/punctuation skills.
7th and 8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary--we watched this week's "Week in Rap" and held discussions. Students are working on going back into the text to check accuracy and make sure they are responding correctly to main ideas. Homework for both blocks is to complete all book club reading and do their "book club thoughts." Last week some responses did not meet expectations and students were asked to redo them in study hall. Students should be taking care to write thorough responses in all areas of the "book club thoughts" worksheet. Book Club thoughts are due both Tuesday and Thursday this week, and books need to be finished by next Tuesday.
Writing: We did a great TRIBES activity today called Tower Building. It was an activity based around nonverbal communication. Even the reflections were fantastic!
We will start narrative writing based in the American Revolution this week. Students need to put their creative thinking caps on and get to it! Our root of the week is "dict" and we will continue with IXL grammar/punctuation skills.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
Projects: Students performed their songs about the Boston Tea Party today. Tomorrow they will create a newscast about the first shots of the American Revolution.
8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary's "Week in Rap!" There were a lot of stories in the news today, so we will have to finish up tomorrow and take a short quiz. Students need to come to class prepared to discuss their book club books, along with their "Book Club Thoughts" filled out.
7th Grade Reading: "Week in Rap!" We read and discussed all of the news events, and students took a short quiz over what we talked about. Tomorrow Book Clubs meet, so it's important that students have done their reading and have their "Book Club Thoughts" papers filled out before they start discussions.
Writing: We reviewed homophones and learned a new Root of the Week (cardi/o). Students spent a good amount of time writing their Loyalist vs. Patriot papers.
Students who didn't score well on their Articles of Confederation quiz last week will have an opportunity to take another one on Thursday. It will be a short answer version of the multiple choice one they took last week.
No poetry this week for 7th or 8th graders. We will focus on book clubs instead. :)
8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary's "Week in Rap!" There were a lot of stories in the news today, so we will have to finish up tomorrow and take a short quiz. Students need to come to class prepared to discuss their book club books, along with their "Book Club Thoughts" filled out.
7th Grade Reading: "Week in Rap!" We read and discussed all of the news events, and students took a short quiz over what we talked about. Tomorrow Book Clubs meet, so it's important that students have done their reading and have their "Book Club Thoughts" papers filled out before they start discussions.
Writing: We reviewed homophones and learned a new Root of the Week (cardi/o). Students spent a good amount of time writing their Loyalist vs. Patriot papers.
Students who didn't score well on their Articles of Confederation quiz last week will have an opportunity to take another one on Thursday. It will be a short answer version of the multiple choice one they took last week.
No poetry this week for 7th or 8th graders. We will focus on book clubs instead. :)
Monday, October 26, 2015
Monday, October 26, 2015
Halloween dance this Thursday from 6-10. Admission is $5. Students may bring one middle school aged guest. EVERYONE must have a permission slip.
Projects:
We are learning about the many causes, people and events of the American Revolution. This week we will focus on the book George VS George, by Rosalyn Schanzer. This is one of my favorite books and I'm excited for the kids to work on activities based upon their reading of it.
8th Grade Reading:
Today was Week in Rap and we had, as usual, great discussions. We will start book clubs with novels set during the American Revolution tomorrow. Poetry annotations for "Leafy Sea Dragon" due Wednesday
7th Grade Reading:
Week in Rap today.....we will start book clubs tomorrow and read novels that are set during the American Revolution.Poetry annotations for "Speak Up" due Wednesday
Writing:
Students will write about the patriot views vs. the loyalist views of the American Revolution. Then they will take all they learn and develop a fictional, creative narrative. Writing will be SO fun this quarter! 8 parts of speech quiz on Thursday
Don't forget to send a pumpkin to school with your student on Thursday for decorating. Students should bring craft items for decorating (paint, fabric, googly eyes, etc.) Also, we are wearing costumes on Thursday!
Homework:
8th grade poetry annotations ("Leafy Sea Dragon") due Wednesday
7th grade poetry annotations ("Speak up") due Wednesday
7th grade quiz over 8 parts of speech on Thursday
Book Club Comments for both classes due Thursday
Monday, October 19, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
Conferences are this Friday! Please take a moment and sign up for a time slot through the sign up genius link I sent out. If Friday doesn't work with you, I am happy to schedule another time.
The book fair is here! Students previewed it today and can bring money throughout the week to make purchases.
Today and this week's schedule:
Projects: We used Brainpop to introduce ourselves to the causes of the American Revolution. Students will learn A LOT over the next 2 weeks so they can have a wealth of knowledge for our big project, which begins on November 9.
8th Grade Reading: Week in Rap! Students read about and discussed current events. I have many talented debators and possibly a few future politicians in this class. I always look forward to it.
7th Grade Reading: Week in Rap! The 7th graders look forward to this and are really starting to develop higher level thinking. They are asking great questions and taking risks with their arguments. I love it!!!
Writing: Students were given some time to free write today. I love this part of writing, and it was put on hold last week. I love watching kids just write about whatever enters their minds. We also did a TRIBES activity during writing....Two truths and a lie. Ask the kids about it. They had GREAT truths and lies. It was fun.
**Class auction on Thursday!
The book fair is here! Students previewed it today and can bring money throughout the week to make purchases.
Today and this week's schedule:
Projects: We used Brainpop to introduce ourselves to the causes of the American Revolution. Students will learn A LOT over the next 2 weeks so they can have a wealth of knowledge for our big project, which begins on November 9.
8th Grade Reading: Week in Rap! Students read about and discussed current events. I have many talented debators and possibly a few future politicians in this class. I always look forward to it.
7th Grade Reading: Week in Rap! The 7th graders look forward to this and are really starting to develop higher level thinking. They are asking great questions and taking risks with their arguments. I love it!!!
Writing: Students were given some time to free write today. I love this part of writing, and it was put on hold last week. I love watching kids just write about whatever enters their minds. We also did a TRIBES activity during writing....Two truths and a lie. Ask the kids about it. They had GREAT truths and lies. It was fun.
**Class auction on Thursday!
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Wednesday, October 15, 2015
Students, please remember to study for tomorrow's chemistry test. You are well-prepared, but a little extra never hurts! :)
Class auction planned for tomorrow if time allows. If not, we will have one next week for sure!
Parents, please make sure you sign up for a conference via the signupgenius link that was emailed to you. If you have questions or concerns please let me know.
Class auction planned for tomorrow if time allows. If not, we will have one next week for sure!
Parents, please make sure you sign up for a conference via the signupgenius link that was emailed to you. If you have questions or concerns please let me know.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Monday, Octoer 12, 2015
I can't believe it's the end of the first quarter! I am absolutely loving this class. The year is flying by and I'm not sure I like it.
Projects: Today students went from station to station conducting various experiments that demonstrated chemical reactions. It was so much fun! I don't think we managed to blow anything up, much to the disappoint of many. :)
8th Grade Reading: Today students took a test on story elements and applied a couple of them to Ghost Hawk. We will watch "The Week in Rap" later in the week. They were not happy that we skipped it today, so I will make it up to them.
7th Grade Reading: Test on story elements and how they apply to Blood on the River. This will be a test grade and will be the final grade of the quarter. We will watch Flocabulary later in the week.
Writing: Final drafts of argumentative essays are due on Thursday, so students are hard at it. I have conferenced with all of them multiple times, but we will continue them right through final drafts. It's important that the students understand each step of the writing process and how to make changes along the way. They are doing a great job!
Homework: 20 minutes of reading each night
**I am planning an auction for Thursday! All items are welcome.
Projects: Today students went from station to station conducting various experiments that demonstrated chemical reactions. It was so much fun! I don't think we managed to blow anything up, much to the disappoint of many. :)
8th Grade Reading: Today students took a test on story elements and applied a couple of them to Ghost Hawk. We will watch "The Week in Rap" later in the week. They were not happy that we skipped it today, so I will make it up to them.
7th Grade Reading: Test on story elements and how they apply to Blood on the River. This will be a test grade and will be the final grade of the quarter. We will watch Flocabulary later in the week.
Writing: Final drafts of argumentative essays are due on Thursday, so students are hard at it. I have conferenced with all of them multiple times, but we will continue them right through final drafts. It's important that the students understand each step of the writing process and how to make changes along the way. They are doing a great job!
Homework: 20 minutes of reading each night
**I am planning an auction for Thursday! All items are welcome.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Monday, October 5, 2015
Projects:
Today we started really studying chemical reactions and what happens during one. I did a demonstration with a candle. The kids are really starting to understand that chemical reactions happen when atoms from certain molecules rearrange themselves to form completely new substances. Tomorrow we will experiment with baking soda, dish soap and vinegar. :)
8th Grade Reading:
Flocabulary's "Week in Rap" was interesting, as usual. We had great discussions about the past week's current events. Flocabulary homework is due this Thursday.
Poetry annotations due Wednesday on "The Run."
Students should read to chapter 11 of section 2 in Ghost Hawk by tomorrow (assigned last Thursday).
7th Grade Reading:
We did the same Flocabulary "Week in Rap" lesson that I did with 8th grade. The students are making important connections, and I'm enjoying hearing all of their well formulated opinions.
Flocabulary homework due Thursday.
Poetry Annotation on "Old Lester Darby" due Wednesday
Story Elements Quiz on Monday, 10/12 (students will be given the terms tomorrow).
Writing:
Students continue to work on their argumentative essay (still in the outline phase). Ask your student what their issue is. They got to choose and I'm loving working with them on these. We will focus on the development of a thesis statement, using evidence to support ideas and effective transitions in this paper. My goal is to get a strong piece of writing every two weeks from these guys. We are not there yet, but we will be soon!
Please send in any auction items. We will have another auction next Thursday, October 15. The students are earning money much faster than losing it (this is a good thing!)
Today we started really studying chemical reactions and what happens during one. I did a demonstration with a candle. The kids are really starting to understand that chemical reactions happen when atoms from certain molecules rearrange themselves to form completely new substances. Tomorrow we will experiment with baking soda, dish soap and vinegar. :)
8th Grade Reading:
Flocabulary's "Week in Rap" was interesting, as usual. We had great discussions about the past week's current events. Flocabulary homework is due this Thursday.
Poetry annotations due Wednesday on "The Run."
Students should read to chapter 11 of section 2 in Ghost Hawk by tomorrow (assigned last Thursday).
7th Grade Reading:
We did the same Flocabulary "Week in Rap" lesson that I did with 8th grade. The students are making important connections, and I'm enjoying hearing all of their well formulated opinions.
Flocabulary homework due Thursday.
Poetry Annotation on "Old Lester Darby" due Wednesday
Story Elements Quiz on Monday, 10/12 (students will be given the terms tomorrow).
Writing:
Students continue to work on their argumentative essay (still in the outline phase). Ask your student what their issue is. They got to choose and I'm loving working with them on these. We will focus on the development of a thesis statement, using evidence to support ideas and effective transitions in this paper. My goal is to get a strong piece of writing every two weeks from these guys. We are not there yet, but we will be soon!
Please send in any auction items. We will have another auction next Thursday, October 15. The students are earning money much faster than losing it (this is a good thing!)
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 3015
Projects: Students finished molecular drawings and models on Monday, and we are moving into the study of chemical reactions. We are learning vocabulary and making posters to reflect comprehension of all vocabulary terms.
8th Grade Reading: Students are continuing to read Ghost Hawk. On Thursday they should be caught up to chapter 8 of part II. There may be an assessment on the reading.
7th Grade Reading: We are continuing with Blood on the River. Students are pulling main ideas and details, as well as figurative language and story elements from the novel.
Homework:
7th Grade--Read for 20 minutes; return signed progress reports
8th Grade--Read for 20 minutes
8th Grade Reading: Students are continuing to read Ghost Hawk. On Thursday they should be caught up to chapter 8 of part II. There may be an assessment on the reading.
7th Grade Reading: We are continuing with Blood on the River. Students are pulling main ideas and details, as well as figurative language and story elements from the novel.
Homework:
7th Grade--Read for 20 minutes; return signed progress reports
8th Grade--Read for 20 minutes
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Projects: We are continuing to study how molecules form. Students are discovering the difference between ionic and covalent bonds.
8th Grade Reading: Students read Ghost Hawk today. We are heading toward a discussion of the relationship between the Native Americans and American Colonists during the colonization of Jamestown. Homework is the Flocabulary sheet (due Thursday) and to read to chapter 11 in Ghost Hawk.
7th Grade Reading: We are enjoying reading Blood on the River. Students are starting to make impressive connections to book using their prior knowledge from past readings. We have a quiz over figurative language terms on Thursday! The kids are doing really well with these, so I think they are going to do just fine.
Writing: Students will work to complete an argumentative essay, We are currently working on deconstructing one on school uniforms. Students are working together to pull pros and cons out of the text. We will begin prewriting later this week, or on Monday of next week.
Auction on Thursday!
Homework: Flocabulary reading sheet due Thursday. Also, students should be on chapter 20 of our class novel by Thursday's reading block (12:05). Figurative language quiz on Thursday! Students should be studying their terms on Quizlet.
8th Grade Reading: Students read Ghost Hawk today. We are heading toward a discussion of the relationship between the Native Americans and American Colonists during the colonization of Jamestown. Homework is the Flocabulary sheet (due Thursday) and to read to chapter 11 in Ghost Hawk.
7th Grade Reading: We are enjoying reading Blood on the River. Students are starting to make impressive connections to book using their prior knowledge from past readings. We have a quiz over figurative language terms on Thursday! The kids are doing really well with these, so I think they are going to do just fine.
Writing: Students will work to complete an argumentative essay, We are currently working on deconstructing one on school uniforms. Students are working together to pull pros and cons out of the text. We will begin prewriting later this week, or on Monday of next week.
Auction on Thursday!
Homework: Flocabulary reading sheet due Thursday. Also, students should be on chapter 20 of our class novel by Thursday's reading block (12:05). Figurative language quiz on Thursday! Students should be studying their terms on Quizlet.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Projects: Students will look at molecular structures this week and build a simple molecular structure. They will also draw a more complex molecule. Today we did a fun experiment with water and observed first hand how water joins together, but does not separate easily.
8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary! Homework sheet is due Thursday.
7th Grade Reading: Flocabulary! Homework sheet is due Thursday. Students also need to be studying their figurative language terms on the Quizlet link in their Google Classroom. They have a quiz on them this Thursday!
Writing: Today the students had a nice block of time to write freely. They loved it, and many read what they wrote aloud. We are starting argumentative essays and will work on deconstructing a sample this week. I will also model how to write one this week.
Class auction this Thursday!!
8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary! Homework sheet is due Thursday.
7th Grade Reading: Flocabulary! Homework sheet is due Thursday. Students also need to be studying their figurative language terms on the Quizlet link in their Google Classroom. They have a quiz on them this Thursday!
Writing: Today the students had a nice block of time to write freely. They loved it, and many read what they wrote aloud. We are starting argumentative essays and will work on deconstructing a sample this week. I will also model how to write one this week.
Class auction this Thursday!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Flocabulary homework due tomorrow for both 7th and 8th grade blocks.
Also, 7th grade needs to have done at least 20 minutes of Z.2 on IXL by tomorrow morning. Many students were done today, but I let those who aren't know before they left. Students can also work to improve their score before I take a grade tomorrow.
Projects have been great fun this week! Students are creating babybooks around an element. The creativity never ceases to amaze me!
8th Grade Reading
Students read the poem "Safe in My Shell" today. We had great discussions about metaphors and they are working on a drawing to accompany their poem.
7th Grade Reading and Writing: Both blocks were taken up by a poster assignment. Students chose 6 different forms of figurative language to write examples of and illustrate. These will be displayed around the room for the remainder of the year so students can reference them. They did a great job on them!
Also, 7th grade needs to have done at least 20 minutes of Z.2 on IXL by tomorrow morning. Many students were done today, but I let those who aren't know before they left. Students can also work to improve their score before I take a grade tomorrow.
Projects have been great fun this week! Students are creating babybooks around an element. The creativity never ceases to amaze me!
8th Grade Reading
Students read the poem "Safe in My Shell" today. We had great discussions about metaphors and they are working on a drawing to accompany their poem.
7th Grade Reading and Writing: Both blocks were taken up by a poster assignment. Students chose 6 different forms of figurative language to write examples of and illustrate. These will be displayed around the room for the remainder of the year so students can reference them. They did a great job on them!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Monday, September 14
Projects: Students will finish a scrapbook on their MVP Element of the year, or their baby element (their choice). They are working in groups to complete this and we are learning a lot about the Period Table of the Elements.
8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary....We watch the "Week in Rap" and discussed current events from the last week. I love the discussions that occur with this group! Homework for "Week in Rap" is due Thursday.
7th Grade Reading: Flocabulary...Homework for "Week in Rap" is due Thursday. Students are really enjoying learning about current events, and they really form intelligent opinions about what is happening in our world.
Writing: Students are still trying to finish Colonial America essays. Gentle reminders to follow the rubric are always helpful both at school and on the home front. :) We will focus on the root word "Aster" this week and hope to expand our vocabulary with words that contain that root.
**If students are assigned IXL for homework, please help me remind them that they MUST do 20 minutes minimum to get full credit. Any less will result in them going to study hall to do 20 minutes there. I know they would all rather do it at home and enjoy a nice, long lunch with their friends the next day.
**Still in need of auction items! We will have our next auction next Thursday, September 24th.
8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary....We watch the "Week in Rap" and discussed current events from the last week. I love the discussions that occur with this group! Homework for "Week in Rap" is due Thursday.
7th Grade Reading: Flocabulary...Homework for "Week in Rap" is due Thursday. Students are really enjoying learning about current events, and they really form intelligent opinions about what is happening in our world.
Writing: Students are still trying to finish Colonial America essays. Gentle reminders to follow the rubric are always helpful both at school and on the home front. :) We will focus on the root word "Aster" this week and hope to expand our vocabulary with words that contain that root.
**If students are assigned IXL for homework, please help me remind them that they MUST do 20 minutes minimum to get full credit. Any less will result in them going to study hall to do 20 minutes there. I know they would all rather do it at home and enjoy a nice, long lunch with their friends the next day.
**Still in need of auction items! We will have our next auction next Thursday, September 24th.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
**Our first class auction was a huge success! Thank you to the students and families who brought things in. The kids really enjoyed it. We will have an auction about every 2-3 weeks.
Projects: We are moving into a quick study of the Periodic Table of Elements. Students will research the table, become familiar with why it's organized the way it is and complete a quick task with a partner. This will set the stage and provide background knowledge for our next big project dealing with chemistry.
8th Grade Reading: Students will finish their informal outlines of Colonial America and take them to writing class to build a final draft. On Thursday we will start reading our first class novel, Ghost Hawk, by Susan Cooper. This novel focuses on relationships between Native Americans and New England Colonists. We are hoping to build background with this novel and have it move us nicely into the study of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
7th Reading: We will start our class novel, Blood on the River, by Elisa Carbone, on Tuesday. This novel is also intended to build background before we move into studying the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
Writing: Students will finish their Colonial America essays as I conference individually with them. They will also work on "anti" as their root of the week and nouns through IXL.
Homework: Tuesday 20 minutes IXL Z.1
Wednesday 20 minutes IXL Z.2
Thursday Chapter 4 Main Idea and Detail page for Blood on the River (due Monday)
**This is a wonderful group of students and we have had a fantastic start to the school year!
Projects: We are moving into a quick study of the Periodic Table of Elements. Students will research the table, become familiar with why it's organized the way it is and complete a quick task with a partner. This will set the stage and provide background knowledge for our next big project dealing with chemistry.
8th Grade Reading: Students will finish their informal outlines of Colonial America and take them to writing class to build a final draft. On Thursday we will start reading our first class novel, Ghost Hawk, by Susan Cooper. This novel focuses on relationships between Native Americans and New England Colonists. We are hoping to build background with this novel and have it move us nicely into the study of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
7th Reading: We will start our class novel, Blood on the River, by Elisa Carbone, on Tuesday. This novel is also intended to build background before we move into studying the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
Writing: Students will finish their Colonial America essays as I conference individually with them. They will also work on "anti" as their root of the week and nouns through IXL.
Homework: Tuesday 20 minutes IXL Z.1
Wednesday 20 minutes IXL Z.2
Thursday Chapter 4 Main Idea and Detail page for Blood on the River (due Monday)
**This is a wonderful group of students and we have had a fantastic start to the school year!
Monday, August 31, 2015
Monday, August 31, 2015
Projects:
Students are finishing their final drafts this week. The synthetic materials project has come along nicely, and the students have sharpened their research skills.
8th Reading:
Flocabulary today, along with Colonial America posters. Students are working in groups to create posters that reflect life in the New England, Middle or Souther Colonies.
7th Reading:
Flocabulary and Colonial America posters. There is no Flocabulary packet this week, but be sure students are reading a minimum of 20 minutes each night.
Writing:
We started our Root of the Week lessons. Each week, students will get a different root to look up and find the origin and definition. They then will find a minimum of 5 words that have that root. This week we are working with the root "graph." Students also started their informal outlines of their Colonial America final essay.
Auction this Thursday! We have a lot of items and are collecting more. I usually auction off about 7 or 8 items and then leave what's left for future auctions. Rent is due tomorrow, so we will see how the students handle that. Thus far, they have pocketed all of their earnings. :)
This is a wonderful group of kids and I am so happy to be their teacher this year.
Students are finishing their final drafts this week. The synthetic materials project has come along nicely, and the students have sharpened their research skills.
8th Reading:
Flocabulary today, along with Colonial America posters. Students are working in groups to create posters that reflect life in the New England, Middle or Souther Colonies.
7th Reading:
Flocabulary and Colonial America posters. There is no Flocabulary packet this week, but be sure students are reading a minimum of 20 minutes each night.
Writing:
We started our Root of the Week lessons. Each week, students will get a different root to look up and find the origin and definition. They then will find a minimum of 5 words that have that root. This week we are working with the root "graph." Students also started their informal outlines of their Colonial America final essay.
Auction this Thursday! We have a lot of items and are collecting more. I usually auction off about 7 or 8 items and then leave what's left for future auctions. Rent is due tomorrow, so we will see how the students handle that. Thus far, they have pocketed all of their earnings. :)
This is a wonderful group of kids and I am so happy to be their teacher this year.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Projects: Students are starting their rough drafts of their 3 page report for projects. They are working hard and learning about synthetic materials and their varying effects on the environment.
8th Reading: Students read a poem "Friends in the Klan" and started annotating. They also worked on Colonial America passages and are starting a poster project surrounding the 13 colonies tomorrow.
7th Reading: Studenes read a poem "Abandoned Farhouse" and I shared my poetry annotation guide with them. We read the poem together and talked about what we notice (see, hear, feel, etc.) about the elements in the poem. These 7th graders will be reading and analyzing poetry before you know it! They also worked on Colonial American passages and are starting a poster project surrounding the 13 colonies tomorrow.
8th Reading: Students read a poem "Friends in the Klan" and started annotating. They also worked on Colonial America passages and are starting a poster project surrounding the 13 colonies tomorrow.
7th Reading: Studenes read a poem "Abandoned Farhouse" and I shared my poetry annotation guide with them. We read the poem together and talked about what we notice (see, hear, feel, etc.) about the elements in the poem. These 7th graders will be reading and analyzing poetry before you know it! They also worked on Colonial American passages and are starting a poster project surrounding the 13 colonies tomorrow.
Writing: Students had a chance to free write, which they seem to enjoy (yay!). We also wrapped up IXL objectives from last week and moved into looking at the final essay prompt for Colonial America.
Flocabulary packet is due tomorrow. Those who aren't finished will have to attend study hall.
Please send in Auction items if you are able! I'm planning our first auction for next Thursday, September 3. Thank you!
Monday, August 24, 2015
Monday, August 24
Projects: We are continuing to conduct research for our synthetic materials reports. Students are looking at cost benefits/risks to certain materials, as well as environmental advantages/disadvantages for materials to use in building a stadium.
8th Reading: Flocabulary Monday! We watched, listend to and talked about the week's current events and used reading strategies to make more meaning out of them. We also read an article about the Jamestown colony.
7th Reading: Flocabulary Monday! We watched, listend to and talked about the week's current events and used reading strategies to make more meaning out of them. We also read an article about the Jamestown colony.
Writing: Students introduced their mini me creations and explained why they were decorated the way they were. It was a great way to get an insight into each student. I then allowed them each one question to me about me. It was fun and I had to divulge some embarrassing moments (well, at least one, anyway). One student asked me what one of my childhood personal stories was. Ask about it and we'll see if they can remember.
Homework:
Flocabulary packet due Thursday 8/27
Read for 20 if finished with packet and no other reading homework is assigned this week
**I am still in need of auction items like candy, treats, gift cards (small, like $5), etc.
8th Reading: Flocabulary Monday! We watched, listend to and talked about the week's current events and used reading strategies to make more meaning out of them. We also read an article about the Jamestown colony.
7th Reading: Flocabulary Monday! We watched, listend to and talked about the week's current events and used reading strategies to make more meaning out of them. We also read an article about the Jamestown colony.
Writing: Students introduced their mini me creations and explained why they were decorated the way they were. It was a great way to get an insight into each student. I then allowed them each one question to me about me. It was fun and I had to divulge some embarrassing moments (well, at least one, anyway). One student asked me what one of my childhood personal stories was. Ask about it and we'll see if they can remember.
Homework:
Flocabulary packet due Thursday 8/27
Read for 20 if finished with packet and no other reading homework is assigned this week
**I am still in need of auction items like candy, treats, gift cards (small, like $5), etc.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Wednesday, August 19
Tonight's homework:
Finish reading annotations (work full 20 minutes on these, please)
Math IXL
Projects: Students are researching synthetic vs. organic products and environment and cost benefits and risks. Tomorrow they will spend the whole class period researching as well.
8th Reading: Started Poetry Wednesday! Yay! Introduction of poetic terms and how we will learn to read and understand poetry this year.
7th Reading: 7th Grade had their first Poetry Wednesday. Although we didn't read and analyze a poem, students were exposed to poetic terms and how we will use them to learn to read and comprehend poetry this year.
Writing: We contined with IXL objectives; we also went through the 6 traits of writing and made posters to reflect each trait.
P.E. Lacrosse with Mr. Keitz! Nice exposure to a sport that's really catching on!
Finish reading annotations (work full 20 minutes on these, please)
Math IXL
Projects: Students are researching synthetic vs. organic products and environment and cost benefits and risks. Tomorrow they will spend the whole class period researching as well.
8th Reading: Started Poetry Wednesday! Yay! Introduction of poetic terms and how we will learn to read and understand poetry this year.
7th Reading: 7th Grade had their first Poetry Wednesday. Although we didn't read and analyze a poem, students were exposed to poetic terms and how we will use them to learn to read and comprehend poetry this year.
Writing: We contined with IXL objectives; we also went through the 6 traits of writing and made posters to reflect each trait.
P.E. Lacrosse with Mr. Keitz! Nice exposure to a sport that's really catching on!
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Today students took Scholastic book orders home. Please take a look at them. The class code is on the front and also on the blog.
In projects we researched possible materials for our stadiums and why we might want to use certain things. Students completed an exit ticket list and turned it in. Tomorrow students will start heavy research to put toward their rough drafts.
Reading 8th: Started Daily Three routines and reading expository text linked to American colonization
**Students need to have a "good fit book" by tomorrow
Reading 7th: Started Daily Three routines and reading expository text linked to American colonization
**Students need to have a "good fit book" by tomorrow
Writing: Introduced IXL for Language Arts; students practiced and will finish at home tonight. We also finished "mini me" project during writing.
Homework:
IXL RR1 and RR2 (some kids may have finished in class)
Bring a "good fit book" to school or make sure one is taken from my class library.
It was another fantastic day in 7th grade!!
In projects we researched possible materials for our stadiums and why we might want to use certain things. Students completed an exit ticket list and turned it in. Tomorrow students will start heavy research to put toward their rough drafts.
Reading 8th: Started Daily Three routines and reading expository text linked to American colonization
**Students need to have a "good fit book" by tomorrow
Reading 7th: Started Daily Three routines and reading expository text linked to American colonization
**Students need to have a "good fit book" by tomorrow
Writing: Introduced IXL for Language Arts; students practiced and will finish at home tonight. We also finished "mini me" project during writing.
Homework:
IXL RR1 and RR2 (some kids may have finished in class)
Bring a "good fit book" to school or make sure one is taken from my class library.
It was another fantastic day in 7th grade!!
Monday, August 17, 2015
Monday, August 17.....FIRST DAY!!!
What a wonderful first day of 7th grade we had! I have a wonderful bunch of students and am looking forward to the year. Here is an rundown of what we are doing this week:
Projects:
Students were assigned a "synthetic materials" science project today. Each student will put a recommendation of materials to use for a new sports stadium. They will research synthetic and organic materials and explore risks and benefits (cost, environmental, etc.). Ask them about it and take a look in their Google Classrooms!
8th Reading:
Flocabulary on Monday
Tuesday we will start reading about the 13 original colonies and why the reasons for colonizing. Students will also practice independent reading and writing and will jump into building stamina.
7th Reading:
Flocabulary on Monday
Tuesday we will start reading about the 13 original colonies and why the reasons for colonizing. Students will also practice independent reading and writing and will jump into building stamina.
Projects:
Students were assigned a "synthetic materials" science project today. Each student will put a recommendation of materials to use for a new sports stadium. They will research synthetic and organic materials and explore risks and benefits (cost, environmental, etc.). Ask them about it and take a look in their Google Classrooms!
8th Reading:
Flocabulary on Monday
Tuesday we will start reading about the 13 original colonies and why the reasons for colonizing. Students will also practice independent reading and writing and will jump into building stamina.
Wednesday we will start poetry (Poetry Wednesday.....yay!)
Thursday we will read more expository passages on colonies.
7th Reading:
Flocabulary on Monday
Tuesday we will start reading about the 13 original colonies and why the reasons for colonizing. Students will also practice independent reading and writing and will jump into building stamina.
Please remind your kiddos that they need to have a "good fit book" in hand within the next day or two.
Wednesday we will start poetry (Poetry Wednesday.....yay!)
Thursday we will read more expository passages on colonies.
Writing:
Today we wrote lists about ourselves and used them to create a mini me to display outside for the year. We will finish these tomorrow.
Tuesday-Thursday we will begin exploring the writing process and focus on the 6 traits of writing; students will also use their IXL accounts to work on specific language arts skills.
Homework tonight:
Math for Mr. Quinn's 7th graders (Mr. Lewis didn't assign homework)
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Welcome Back!
Looking forward to a great year with everyone! I hope to see all parents at Back to School Night on Thursday, August 13 at 5:00. Please feel free to bring supplies with you then if you would like.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
I can't believe the last week of school is upon us. Here are a few reminders for the week:
Monday: 1:30-3:30 WWII Museum Exhibit--Please come and visit our exhibits. They are phenomenal! All projects are set up in the middle school classrooms, with the exception of Mr. Lewis's room.
Tuesday: Regular Day, but the kids and I will brainstorm and come up with something fun. We will definitely have an auction and we need last minute items!
Wednesday: 8th grade promotion 10:00--All students attend
Thursday: Field Day 8:00-2:00; last day of school
I am going to miss this bunch of 7th and 8th graders so much. We have had an extraordinary year together....lots of laughter and great moments. This is such a wonderful group of kids and I have enjoyed every day with them. I hope you all have a relaxing, terrific summer!
Monday, May 11, 2015
Monday, May 11
Our students will be displaying their WW2 museum exhibit to parents next Monday, May 18, from 1-3. Please stop by and admire their work. They are working so hard on these!
Projects:
Students are busily completing their museum exhibits. A gentle reminder to them to make sure everything is finished up by this Thursday, including bringing any artifacts or supplies from home. Students are working on these at school, but many have said they have things at home to bring in.
8th Grade Reading:
I only have 2 more days with my 8th graders for reading. I am so sad and will miss them dearly next year. We are going to wrap up the year with a little bit of poetry.:)
7th Grade Reading:
Second Wordl War 2 tasks are due this Thursday. This is all students need to focus on as far as homework.
Writing:
We will alternate between working on writing (sentence diagramming, free write, WW2 journaling) and projects during our writing time this week.
Please don't forget that we need volunteers for field day on Thursday, May 21. We need as much help as possible to make this awesome for the kids.
Projects:
Students are busily completing their museum exhibits. A gentle reminder to them to make sure everything is finished up by this Thursday, including bringing any artifacts or supplies from home. Students are working on these at school, but many have said they have things at home to bring in.
8th Grade Reading:
I only have 2 more days with my 8th graders for reading. I am so sad and will miss them dearly next year. We are going to wrap up the year with a little bit of poetry.:)
7th Grade Reading:
Second Wordl War 2 tasks are due this Thursday. This is all students need to focus on as far as homework.
Writing:
We will alternate between working on writing (sentence diagramming, free write, WW2 journaling) and projects during our writing time this week.
Please don't forget that we need volunteers for field day on Thursday, May 21. We need as much help as possible to make this awesome for the kids.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
The year is slipping away quickly! I have SO ENJOYED this class of 7th graders. I will miss them, but know we will have a great year in 8th grade too!
In projects, students are working diligently on their WW2 museum exhibit projects. The content for these is due NEXT THURSDAY, May 14. We will grade the oral presentation and interactive piece on Monday, May 18.
7th and 8th grade reading: both classes are busy reading WW2 texts and responding to them. 8th grade will the the reading EOC with me on Wednesday, May 6th.
Writing: We are still working on parts of speech and sentence diagramming. Also, students will complete a few more writing prompts and finish WW2 journaling.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful kids with me this year!
In projects, students are working diligently on their WW2 museum exhibit projects. The content for these is due NEXT THURSDAY, May 14. We will grade the oral presentation and interactive piece on Monday, May 18.
7th and 8th grade reading: both classes are busy reading WW2 texts and responding to them. 8th grade will the the reading EOC with me on Wednesday, May 6th.
Writing: We are still working on parts of speech and sentence diagramming. Also, students will complete a few more writing prompts and finish WW2 journaling.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful kids with me this year!
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Projects:
Students are learning about Hitler's life and his book, Mein Kampf as we continue our study of World War 2. Students should be prepared to write about the causes of World War 2 this week.
8th Grade Reading:
We are continuing with our WW2 book clubs. Students are reading their books, holding discussions, and evaluating each other on leadership capabilities. I am enjoying listening to their talks and amd pleased with the connections they are making. Students are graded DAILY on how prepared they are for book club.
7th Grade Reading:
Students are in book clubs reading books related to WW2. They are working on analyzing their books and taking turns being the discussion leader in their groups. Everyone seems to be enjoying what they are reading, and I'm hearing some excelling talking points. Students are graded DAILY on how prepared they come to book club and how much they have to offer to the discussion.
Writing:
Continuing with WW2 narrative journals. Additionally, we are reviewing sentence diagramming skills and working a lot with free write (storybird, poetry, tweets, etc.).
Our field trip to the museum is on Monday. I only have one chaperone at the moment, so I need one more. Please let me know if you will be able to make it.
Students are learning about Hitler's life and his book, Mein Kampf as we continue our study of World War 2. Students should be prepared to write about the causes of World War 2 this week.
8th Grade Reading:
We are continuing with our WW2 book clubs. Students are reading their books, holding discussions, and evaluating each other on leadership capabilities. I am enjoying listening to their talks and amd pleased with the connections they are making. Students are graded DAILY on how prepared they are for book club.
7th Grade Reading:
Students are in book clubs reading books related to WW2. They are working on analyzing their books and taking turns being the discussion leader in their groups. Everyone seems to be enjoying what they are reading, and I'm hearing some excelling talking points. Students are graded DAILY on how prepared they come to book club and how much they have to offer to the discussion.
Writing:
Continuing with WW2 narrative journals. Additionally, we are reviewing sentence diagramming skills and working a lot with free write (storybird, poetry, tweets, etc.).
Our field trip to the museum is on Monday. I only have one chaperone at the moment, so I need one more. Please let me know if you will be able to make it.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
I hope everyone had a restful, wonderful spring break. Now we are in the home stretch!!
SBAC Assessments will be April 21, 23, 28, and 30 for all 7th grade students. Please make sure your student gets a good night's sleep, is on time to school, has had a nice healthy breakfast and is ready to do their best. Please consider signing up to send in a snack on the signupgenius email you should have received.
We have a lot going on from now until the end of the year:
Projects: We launched the World War 2 unit. Students got into groups and chose topics for final produects. They will creating museum exhibits around World War 2 concepts (people, events, places, etc.). We are all enjoying learning during this unit.
8th Grade Reading: Please ask your 8th grader what World War 2 related book they are reading. Students were put into book clubs and are participating in discussions every day. They will finish the book by completing a final task.
7th Grade Reading: 7th graders are also in World War 2 book clubs. Each student chose a book and is reading it with several others. Students are responsible for taking notes and coming prepared to discussions every day. They will complete a final task when they finish the books.
Writing: Students are keeping a journal and writing daily. They are writing from the perspective of someone who may have lived during World War 2. They make daily entries and include real facts and details from that time period. We are also doing a lot of free writing with Storybird and poetry. Sentence Diagramming sees its way into writing several times a week as well. :)
SBAC Assessments will be April 21, 23, 28, and 30 for all 7th grade students. Please make sure your student gets a good night's sleep, is on time to school, has had a nice healthy breakfast and is ready to do their best. Please consider signing up to send in a snack on the signupgenius email you should have received.
We have a lot going on from now until the end of the year:
Projects: We launched the World War 2 unit. Students got into groups and chose topics for final produects. They will creating museum exhibits around World War 2 concepts (people, events, places, etc.). We are all enjoying learning during this unit.
8th Grade Reading: Please ask your 8th grader what World War 2 related book they are reading. Students were put into book clubs and are participating in discussions every day. They will finish the book by completing a final task.
7th Grade Reading: 7th graders are also in World War 2 book clubs. Each student chose a book and is reading it with several others. Students are responsible for taking notes and coming prepared to discussions every day. They will complete a final task when they finish the books.
Writing: Students are keeping a journal and writing daily. They are writing from the perspective of someone who may have lived during World War 2. They make daily entries and include real facts and details from that time period. We are also doing a lot of free writing with Storybird and poetry. Sentence Diagramming sees its way into writing several times a week as well. :)
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Parents, please remember that we have student led conferences this Friday from 9:00-3:30. Come at any time during that block. Looking forward to seeing you!
Next Wednesday, April 1, is our reading stamina day. We will practice taking the smarter balanced test. The intent is to make sure we have the right amount of stamina to sit and take the real thing in just a few weeks!
Projects:
We are now studying the Great Depression. This is such an important part of your country's history. The kids are enjoying learning the causes and effects of this time period.
8th Grade Reading:
Students will finish their To Kill a Mockingbird final tomorrow. They have had it for 5 weeks and have been collecting evidence to write about theme. If they've been working all along, they should do just fine. All students seemed to really enjoy the novel. It's one of my favorites. What wonderful discussions we would have every day while reading it together!
7th Grade Reading:
The kids are thrilled because they get a little more independent reading time than they've gotten lately. We are balancing that with Smarter Balanced practice, poetry, and Flocabulary. Our days are busy in reading, that's for sure!
Writing:
This week, students have a Common Core writing prompt. They have to examine 3 sources surrounding The Great Depression then write an evidence-based essay about the effects of The Great Depression on the people during that time. We have been writing so many informative pieces, and I know they will do well on this one. By now, students are probably using evidence-based terms and quotes in their sleep!
Our student council continues to raise money for the Fallon Youth Club. Please send in any spare change or dollars for this cause. We will keep the fundraiser going until the end of the year.
Next Wednesday, April 1, is our reading stamina day. We will practice taking the smarter balanced test. The intent is to make sure we have the right amount of stamina to sit and take the real thing in just a few weeks!
Projects:
We are now studying the Great Depression. This is such an important part of your country's history. The kids are enjoying learning the causes and effects of this time period.
8th Grade Reading:
Students will finish their To Kill a Mockingbird final tomorrow. They have had it for 5 weeks and have been collecting evidence to write about theme. If they've been working all along, they should do just fine. All students seemed to really enjoy the novel. It's one of my favorites. What wonderful discussions we would have every day while reading it together!
7th Grade Reading:
The kids are thrilled because they get a little more independent reading time than they've gotten lately. We are balancing that with Smarter Balanced practice, poetry, and Flocabulary. Our days are busy in reading, that's for sure!
Writing:
This week, students have a Common Core writing prompt. They have to examine 3 sources surrounding The Great Depression then write an evidence-based essay about the effects of The Great Depression on the people during that time. We have been writing so many informative pieces, and I know they will do well on this one. By now, students are probably using evidence-based terms and quotes in their sleep!
Our student council continues to raise money for the Fallon Youth Club. Please send in any spare change or dollars for this cause. We will keep the fundraiser going until the end of the year.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
March 17, 2015
8th grade reading students will watch To Kill a Mockingbird Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Please email me if you do NOT want your student to watch this movie.
Please continue to send in money for our Fallon Youth Club Student Council fundraiser. This will continue until the end of the school year.
Next Friday we will have student led conferences in my classroom from 9:00-3:00. You can come in anytime with your child and they will take you through what they have been doing in the class. I will be available to answer any questions, and if you desire a meeting after you've met with your child I am happy to schedule that.
Projects:
Students will perform their water cycle/rock cycle raps tomorrow morning (Wednesday). They are doing a great job with this. We will move into the Great Depression on Thursday and will work on building background so we can complete activities and projects. Our study of World War 2 will come after that.
8th Grade Reading:
We finished To Kill a Mockingbird as a class today. The students seemed to love the novel. It is so full of information and lessons from that time period (Great Depression/Alabama). Our discussions have been valuable. Now the students will work on completing their final essay. They have had this assignment since the day we started the novel, so they should be well prepared to write a full analysis of their take on the book's theme as it related to the setting, characters and plot. I look forward to reading them.
7th Grade Reading:
Students are back in the throws of their own silent reading and loving it. We are also practicing some Smarter Balanced test questions and working on poetry. It's important that students continue to read for at least 20 minutes every night. The biggest key to success in reading is to just do more and more of it.
Writing:
We are taking a break from formal writing assignments and studying how to evaluate and judge certain pieces of writing. We are taking a look at advertisements and examining the different propaganda techniques that are used in these ads. The students are engaged and having fun with it. They are also spending some time just free writing. We haven't done that in a few weeks and the kids always love a chance to express themselves on paper. They are encouraged to write about whatever they want.
Please continue to send in money for our Fallon Youth Club Student Council fundraiser. This will continue until the end of the school year.
Next Friday we will have student led conferences in my classroom from 9:00-3:00. You can come in anytime with your child and they will take you through what they have been doing in the class. I will be available to answer any questions, and if you desire a meeting after you've met with your child I am happy to schedule that.
Projects:
Students will perform their water cycle/rock cycle raps tomorrow morning (Wednesday). They are doing a great job with this. We will move into the Great Depression on Thursday and will work on building background so we can complete activities and projects. Our study of World War 2 will come after that.
8th Grade Reading:
We finished To Kill a Mockingbird as a class today. The students seemed to love the novel. It is so full of information and lessons from that time period (Great Depression/Alabama). Our discussions have been valuable. Now the students will work on completing their final essay. They have had this assignment since the day we started the novel, so they should be well prepared to write a full analysis of their take on the book's theme as it related to the setting, characters and plot. I look forward to reading them.
7th Grade Reading:
Students are back in the throws of their own silent reading and loving it. We are also practicing some Smarter Balanced test questions and working on poetry. It's important that students continue to read for at least 20 minutes every night. The biggest key to success in reading is to just do more and more of it.
Writing:
We are taking a break from formal writing assignments and studying how to evaluate and judge certain pieces of writing. We are taking a look at advertisements and examining the different propaganda techniques that are used in these ads. The students are engaged and having fun with it. They are also spending some time just free writing. We haven't done that in a few weeks and the kids always love a chance to express themselves on paper. They are encouraged to write about whatever they want.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
**Please refer to the email from Oasis regarding upcoming Smarter Balanced test dates. We need every student to be present on these days, as making up the tests is very difficult.
Projects:
This week we will learn about the water cycle and the rock cycle. Students will perform rap songs around these concepts early next week. There will also be a vocabulary quiz over water cycle words on Thursday morning. Students have the terms and can study from home as well as at school. After that, we will move into studying the Great Depression in social studies.
8th Grade Reading:
Students continue to read and collect evidence for their final on To Kill a Mockingbird. We will finish the novel next week and take the final and watch movie immediately after. The kids are loving this book and there are some very powerful messages we are all taking from it.
7th Grade Reading:
We finished The Maze Runner and will take the final tomorrow (Wednesday). Students have been working on collecting evidence for this and will probably take 2 days to complete the exam. After that, we will move into doing more independent reading of Good Fit Books and work on some test taking strategies.
Writing:
We have been practicing the performance tasks for Smarter Balanced. These are not easy tests and we have been muddling through them. However, the students are getting the hang of it and are improving their abilities to pull evidence from several sources to support their arguments. We will now move into doing some independent writing (the kids are begging for some time for that), as well as some mini lessons on propaganda and how it's used in things like advertising.
Homework this week is to read for 20 minutes every night and to continue to collect evidence for novel finals.
Projects:
This week we will learn about the water cycle and the rock cycle. Students will perform rap songs around these concepts early next week. There will also be a vocabulary quiz over water cycle words on Thursday morning. Students have the terms and can study from home as well as at school. After that, we will move into studying the Great Depression in social studies.
8th Grade Reading:
Students continue to read and collect evidence for their final on To Kill a Mockingbird. We will finish the novel next week and take the final and watch movie immediately after. The kids are loving this book and there are some very powerful messages we are all taking from it.
7th Grade Reading:
We finished The Maze Runner and will take the final tomorrow (Wednesday). Students have been working on collecting evidence for this and will probably take 2 days to complete the exam. After that, we will move into doing more independent reading of Good Fit Books and work on some test taking strategies.
Writing:
We have been practicing the performance tasks for Smarter Balanced. These are not easy tests and we have been muddling through them. However, the students are getting the hang of it and are improving their abilities to pull evidence from several sources to support their arguments. We will now move into doing some independent writing (the kids are begging for some time for that), as well as some mini lessons on propaganda and how it's used in things like advertising.
Homework this week is to read for 20 minutes every night and to continue to collect evidence for novel finals.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Happy March to all of you! The year is flying by, and I can't believe we only have 2 1/2 months of school left.
Projects: Students are finishing up their journals and next week we will review the water cycle and rock cyle. Students will memorize and perform rap songs as a culmination to this science unit. They seem to be very excited about that!
8th Grade Reading: We will continue to read To Kill a Mockingbird for the next few weeks. Students are working on collecting evidence for their chosen theme to this book, and will complete the final exam upon finishing the book.
7th Grade Reading: Students are enjoying The Maze Runner. It's very action packed and filled with suspense. As we read, students are collecting evidence for their final exam. We are also making novel charts that display figurative language, important quotes, bad decisions, adjectives, etc. throughout the novel.
Writing: This week, we are working on one of the SBAC (Smarter Balanced) performance tasks for writing. Students must complete 3 questions, then write an essay using sources that are provided to them. We have worked very hard on writing evidence-based essays this year. The students have written several and they all seem to have a good grasp of how to do this. I'm very confident that they will do very well come test time in April. :)
Please, please send in any spare change for our ongoing money drive for the Fallon Youth Club. This fundraiser is sponsored by Student Council, and we would love for our class to win the next class trip to Maverik!
Projects: Students are finishing up their journals and next week we will review the water cycle and rock cyle. Students will memorize and perform rap songs as a culmination to this science unit. They seem to be very excited about that!
8th Grade Reading: We will continue to read To Kill a Mockingbird for the next few weeks. Students are working on collecting evidence for their chosen theme to this book, and will complete the final exam upon finishing the book.
7th Grade Reading: Students are enjoying The Maze Runner. It's very action packed and filled with suspense. As we read, students are collecting evidence for their final exam. We are also making novel charts that display figurative language, important quotes, bad decisions, adjectives, etc. throughout the novel.
Writing: This week, we are working on one of the SBAC (Smarter Balanced) performance tasks for writing. Students must complete 3 questions, then write an essay using sources that are provided to them. We have worked very hard on writing evidence-based essays this year. The students have written several and they all seem to have a good grasp of how to do this. I'm very confident that they will do very well come test time in April. :)
Please, please send in any spare change for our ongoing money drive for the Fallon Youth Club. This fundraiser is sponsored by Student Council, and we would love for our class to win the next class trip to Maverik!
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Projects:
We are continuing with our unit on space, which includes the studies of moon phases and gravity. We will continue this for another week before heading into social studies and the Great Depression.
8th Grade Reading:
Students are working on their final exam, which is an ongoing assignment while we read the novel. Students should be collecting evidence for the theme they have chosen for the book. The final is worth a lot, and students should make sure they are organizing their thoughts. We are loving this book!
7th Grade Reading:
The Maze Runner is such a fun book to read with my 7th graders! This week we will do a novel chart in groups and focus on humor, fear, figurative language, and important quotes in the book.
Writing:
SBAC is right around the corner and we are working HARD on writing prompts that will improve our skills and overall performance. Students need to make sure they know what a thesis statement is and how to work on it throughout their essays. This week, they are writing about the benefits of recess on teachers and students, and using sources to use evidence to back up their points.
**Math night is this Thursday night at 6:00.
We are continuing with our unit on space, which includes the studies of moon phases and gravity. We will continue this for another week before heading into social studies and the Great Depression.
8th Grade Reading:
Students are working on their final exam, which is an ongoing assignment while we read the novel. Students should be collecting evidence for the theme they have chosen for the book. The final is worth a lot, and students should make sure they are organizing their thoughts. We are loving this book!
7th Grade Reading:
The Maze Runner is such a fun book to read with my 7th graders! This week we will do a novel chart in groups and focus on humor, fear, figurative language, and important quotes in the book.
Writing:
SBAC is right around the corner and we are working HARD on writing prompts that will improve our skills and overall performance. Students need to make sure they know what a thesis statement is and how to work on it throughout their essays. This week, they are writing about the benefits of recess on teachers and students, and using sources to use evidence to back up their points.
**Math night is this Thursday night at 6:00.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
We are starting a new unit in projects this week. students will begin by learning and doing a few activities around the different phases of the moon. They will keep a journal and record new information in them daily.
In 8th grade reading, our class novel is progressing nicely. Students seem to be enjoying To Kill a Mockingbird. This is a wonderful book with so many possibilities. In the next few weeks, I will be expecting a lot from the kids as far as discussion and written response go.
7th graders are loving The Maze Runner. This week they took a short quiz and are working on collecting evidence for their final exams. Please ask them about their class reading. The more students talk about their books the more they retain!
In writing, we are picking apart our Smarter Balanced practice writing from last week. Since this was a practice, we are able to go back and compare it to the rubrics given. I think this is proving to be a worthwhile exercise, as students will be well prepared for the actual writing assessment they will take in a couple of months. In addition to this, students are still working on diagramming sentences. They come a long way with this, and most students can now pick apart and recognize parts of speech in sentences! This is such an important skill to have as they progress in their writing.
In 8th grade reading, our class novel is progressing nicely. Students seem to be enjoying To Kill a Mockingbird. This is a wonderful book with so many possibilities. In the next few weeks, I will be expecting a lot from the kids as far as discussion and written response go.
7th graders are loving The Maze Runner. This week they took a short quiz and are working on collecting evidence for their final exams. Please ask them about their class reading. The more students talk about their books the more they retain!
In writing, we are picking apart our Smarter Balanced practice writing from last week. Since this was a practice, we are able to go back and compare it to the rubrics given. I think this is proving to be a worthwhile exercise, as students will be well prepared for the actual writing assessment they will take in a couple of months. In addition to this, students are still working on diagramming sentences. They come a long way with this, and most students can now pick apart and recognize parts of speech in sentences! This is such an important skill to have as they progress in their writing.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Projects:
Students are designing their own websites related to weather. This is a great project, as most of them have not built a website before. We're having a great time!
8th Grade Reading:
We are continuing with To Kill a Mockingbird. Students are paying close attention to character traits in the first five chapters, and using dialog in the book to explain how it relates to character traits.
7th Grade Reading:
We are through the first 14 chapters of The Maze Runner. Students will now complete 2 tasks to show comprehension and make predictions.
Writing:
Today we worked on diagramming sentences with multiple prepositional phrases. Additionally, students continued to work on a practice performance assessment for writing. This practice will come in handy when it comes time to actually take the writing assessment in April!
**The dance last Friday was an absolute blast! Thank you to all of the kids for making it so much fun. Everyone danced and had a great time. I'm so impressed with them!
Please click on the link to view pictures from the dance. If it doesn't work, try copying and pasting the URL.
http://oasisacademyfallon.smugmug.com/Valentines-Dance-2015/n-c5SGQ/i-ScR83PW
Students are designing their own websites related to weather. This is a great project, as most of them have not built a website before. We're having a great time!
8th Grade Reading:
We are continuing with To Kill a Mockingbird. Students are paying close attention to character traits in the first five chapters, and using dialog in the book to explain how it relates to character traits.
7th Grade Reading:
We are through the first 14 chapters of The Maze Runner. Students will now complete 2 tasks to show comprehension and make predictions.
Writing:
Today we worked on diagramming sentences with multiple prepositional phrases. Additionally, students continued to work on a practice performance assessment for writing. This practice will come in handy when it comes time to actually take the writing assessment in April!
**The dance last Friday was an absolute blast! Thank you to all of the kids for making it so much fun. Everyone danced and had a great time. I'm so impressed with them!
Please click on the link to view pictures from the dance. If it doesn't work, try copying and pasting the URL.
http://oasisacademyfallon.smugmug.com/Valentines-Dance-2015/n-c5SGQ/i-ScR83PW
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
7th grade Flocabulary homework is due tomorrow.
Projects:
Students are finishing their posters on global warming and will present them tomorrow. I'm seeing some nice work!
8th Grade Reading:
Almost finished chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm reading aloud right now, and students will start reading more independently soon. It's important to set the stage and talk about characters in the story and their function in it. We are having some nice discussions.
7th Grade Reading:
Students finished their maps of The Glade today. OH MY GOSH, those kids really know how to get creative with a project. I am impressed with what they put together, as well as the evidence they are taking from the text to complete the assignment. Tomorrow there will be a quiz (open book) on chapters 8 and 9 and we may move farther ahead in the reading afterward.
Writing:
We started diagramming sentences today. This is a tried and true method of encouraging students to recognize parts of speech, as well as determine their function in a sentence. Believe it or not, it should help with overall writing as students become more aware of subject/verb agreement through these exercises.
This Friday is the middle school dance. I encourage all students to attend. It's such a special, special night and the kids have worked hard in the classroom to earn it. Remember your permission slip, your guest's permission slip (if you're bringing one), and your $5 admission fee.
Candy grams are on sale all week, as well as next Monday, during lunch. They are 50 cents apiece and are being sold by student council.
Projects:
Students are finishing their posters on global warming and will present them tomorrow. I'm seeing some nice work!
8th Grade Reading:
Almost finished chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm reading aloud right now, and students will start reading more independently soon. It's important to set the stage and talk about characters in the story and their function in it. We are having some nice discussions.
7th Grade Reading:
Students finished their maps of The Glade today. OH MY GOSH, those kids really know how to get creative with a project. I am impressed with what they put together, as well as the evidence they are taking from the text to complete the assignment. Tomorrow there will be a quiz (open book) on chapters 8 and 9 and we may move farther ahead in the reading afterward.
Writing:
We started diagramming sentences today. This is a tried and true method of encouraging students to recognize parts of speech, as well as determine their function in a sentence. Believe it or not, it should help with overall writing as students become more aware of subject/verb agreement through these exercises.
This Friday is the middle school dance. I encourage all students to attend. It's such a special, special night and the kids have worked hard in the classroom to earn it. Remember your permission slip, your guest's permission slip (if you're bringing one), and your $5 admission fee.
Candy grams are on sale all week, as well as next Monday, during lunch. They are 50 cents apiece and are being sold by student council.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Please remember to sign up to send something in to our dance this Friday! It's from 6-10 pm.
Also, if your child is bringing a guest to the dance, the guest MUST bring a signed copy of the same permission slip your child brings. No students will be allowed into the dance without a permission slip.
Projects:
Students are creating posters to show 9 pieces of evidence toward global warming. These will be considered products and graded accordingly, so they need to be sure they are doing their best work!
8th Grade Reading:
Today we watch the Flocabulary video and students took a quiz on the content. We will continue To Kill a Mockingbird for the rest of the week.
7th Grade Reading:
Students are busy creating a map of The Glade in The Maze Runner. I can't believe the hard work and creativity going into these. I'm impressed.
Writing:
This week we will be working on Smarter Balanced practice in writing. Students will learn how to access the site, as well as what the writing/reading prompts will look like when they take the actual test. We will also continue with sentence diagramming in order to remember parts of speech and their purpose in a sentence.
Also, if your child is bringing a guest to the dance, the guest MUST bring a signed copy of the same permission slip your child brings. No students will be allowed into the dance without a permission slip.
Projects:
Students are creating posters to show 9 pieces of evidence toward global warming. These will be considered products and graded accordingly, so they need to be sure they are doing their best work!
8th Grade Reading:
Today we watch the Flocabulary video and students took a quiz on the content. We will continue To Kill a Mockingbird for the rest of the week.
7th Grade Reading:
Students are busy creating a map of The Glade in The Maze Runner. I can't believe the hard work and creativity going into these. I'm impressed.
Writing:
This week we will be working on Smarter Balanced practice in writing. Students will learn how to access the site, as well as what the writing/reading prompts will look like when they take the actual test. We will also continue with sentence diagramming in order to remember parts of speech and their purpose in a sentence.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
This week in:
Projects:
We finished the inflatable globes....finally! They look great and they will be hung on display in our classroom soon. We are now moving onto studying global warming.
8th Grade Reading:
To Kill a Mockingbird is a great, challenging text, and the kids are doing great! We took our time on chapter one with vocabulary and phrases, and can now move gracefully (we hope) through the rest of the novel. We are having wonderful discussions already!
7th Grade Reading:
Tomorrow the students will start working on their maps of The Glade in The Maze Runner. They will use descriptions in the book to build a 3-d model of The Glade, then present it to the class. Students will work in groups of 4 on this.
Writing:
Argumentative essays are done! Students worked HARD, and I am very proud of these. They are up on a bulletin board outside the room. Stop by and take a look. You kids chose some very controversial topics to research and report on.
**February 6 is our middle school dance from 6-10. Please remember to sign up to send something in. You should have received a signupgenius email with a list of items. If you didn't get the email, please let me know.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Thursday, January 22
Projects:
Students continue to work on their globes. They are drawing land masses, lines of latitude and longitude, and labeling everything. We will use these to show weather related concepts. Students also took a vocabulary quiz over 8 of our terms.
8th Grade Reading:
Today we started chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird. We will actually spend a bit of time on this chapter, as there are many references we need to work through to build our background knowledge.
7th Grade Reading:
We read to chapter 5 in The Maze Runner. This is an excellent, very exciting book already. We are all intrigued.
Writing:
Continuing with our argumentative essays....These are slow going. Students are trying to grasp using evidence-based terms and quotes from text to support their arguments. We will get there. I have strong writers and we do a lot of discussion, which helps.
**Please see your email for the permission slip for February's dance. We will need one from every student who attends.
Happy Thursday!
Students continue to work on their globes. They are drawing land masses, lines of latitude and longitude, and labeling everything. We will use these to show weather related concepts. Students also took a vocabulary quiz over 8 of our terms.
8th Grade Reading:
Today we started chapter 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird. We will actually spend a bit of time on this chapter, as there are many references we need to work through to build our background knowledge.
7th Grade Reading:
We read to chapter 5 in The Maze Runner. This is an excellent, very exciting book already. We are all intrigued.
Writing:
Continuing with our argumentative essays....These are slow going. Students are trying to grasp using evidence-based terms and quotes from text to support their arguments. We will get there. I have strong writers and we do a lot of discussion, which helps.
**Please see your email for the permission slip for February's dance. We will need one from every student who attends.
Happy Thursday!
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Tuesday, January 20
Quiz this Thursday over new science vocabulary terms on Quizlet. The kids know all about it and should be studying!
Projects:
We are creating inflatable models of the earth to show lines of latitude and longitude, as well as land masses and oceans. We will use these to gain a better understanding of weather, ocean currents in the hemisphere, the Coriolis Effect, and more!
8th Grade Reading:
We began researching and reading about the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, today. We will read and learn more about the Great Depression tomorrow (Wednesday) and start reading our novel on Thursday. This is going to be a great one!!!
7th Grade Reading:
We started The Maze Runner, by James Dashner today. Students were given access to the final exam and will be collecting evidence for it as we read. Parents, you might want to ask them about their evidence they are collecting from time to time. This isn't something students want to be procrastinating on.
Writing:
Students will turn in final copies of their argumentative essay on Thursday. I have conferenced with all students, and they should be turning in quality work. The writing is getting harder and we are focusing on our Smarter Balanced writing practice. I told the students that if their grades go down on their essays that it's normal. This was a hard assignment, but they are learning from it. Remember, it's about growth in academic areas more than the grade. :)
Valentine's dance is February 6th from 6-10. I am so excited and am looking forward to seeing everyone go and enjoy a night of dancing with friends. Please remember our policy regarding eligibility.
Projects:
We are creating inflatable models of the earth to show lines of latitude and longitude, as well as land masses and oceans. We will use these to gain a better understanding of weather, ocean currents in the hemisphere, the Coriolis Effect, and more!
8th Grade Reading:
We began researching and reading about the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, today. We will read and learn more about the Great Depression tomorrow (Wednesday) and start reading our novel on Thursday. This is going to be a great one!!!
7th Grade Reading:
We started The Maze Runner, by James Dashner today. Students were given access to the final exam and will be collecting evidence for it as we read. Parents, you might want to ask them about their evidence they are collecting from time to time. This isn't something students want to be procrastinating on.
Writing:
Students will turn in final copies of their argumentative essay on Thursday. I have conferenced with all students, and they should be turning in quality work. The writing is getting harder and we are focusing on our Smarter Balanced writing practice. I told the students that if their grades go down on their essays that it's normal. This was a hard assignment, but they are learning from it. Remember, it's about growth in academic areas more than the grade. :)
Valentine's dance is February 6th from 6-10. I am so excited and am looking forward to seeing everyone go and enjoy a night of dancing with friends. Please remember our policy regarding eligibility.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Tuesday, January 13
Projects:
There will be a quiz over the Bill Nye videos tomorrow. Students all have notes to study and should look over them carefully.
The experiments were great fun today. We made predictions and formed hypotheses. Sometimes we were even right!
Tomorrow we will continue to study weather vocabulary, weather patterns (current), and tighten up our experiment notetakers so we can turn them in for a grade.
8th Grade Reading:
We will finish the movie tomorrow.....I promise!
Students, please make sure you are prepared for our seminar on Thursday. Remember to use TEXT EVIDENCE and to speak at least twice.
7th Grade Reading:
Students did a lot of individual reading and writing today. They are enjoying this time to read what they each enjoy. We will start the class novel on Monday (Mazerunner)
Writing:
Introductions to argumentative essays are due tomorrow. I will try to conference with each student. Be prepared!
**Flocabulary homework due Thursday for 7th only.
**Study for Projects quiz tomorrow!
There will be a quiz over the Bill Nye videos tomorrow. Students all have notes to study and should look over them carefully.
The experiments were great fun today. We made predictions and formed hypotheses. Sometimes we were even right!
Tomorrow we will continue to study weather vocabulary, weather patterns (current), and tighten up our experiment notetakers so we can turn them in for a grade.
8th Grade Reading:
We will finish the movie tomorrow.....I promise!
Students, please make sure you are prepared for our seminar on Thursday. Remember to use TEXT EVIDENCE and to speak at least twice.
7th Grade Reading:
Students did a lot of individual reading and writing today. They are enjoying this time to read what they each enjoy. We will start the class novel on Monday (Mazerunner)
Writing:
Introductions to argumentative essays are due tomorrow. I will try to conference with each student. Be prepared!
**Flocabulary homework due Thursday for 7th only.
**Study for Projects quiz tomorrow!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Monday, January 12
Projects:
Tomorrow we will be conducting different science experiments in the middle school classrooms. Each experiment will be weather -related. This should be a lot of fun and very exciting!
8th Grade Reading:
Today we watched most of the movie The Outsiders, and will finish it tomorrow. Also, students will finish preparing for their seminar, which is scheduled for this Thursday. I'm looking forward to listening to them discuss the book. Next week we will start the book To Kill a Mockinbird, by Harper Lee. This is one of my all time favorite novels, and I can't wait to share it with the students.
7th Grade Reading:
Flocabulary lesson today, and the kids rocked the discussion! The packet is due at the end of the week. We will start reading The Maze Runner next week. I'm looking forward to teaching this book.
Writing:
Students are still writing argumentative essays. They are working on planning, and should be ready to start their introductions tomorrow. Each student has chosen a topic that he or she is passionate about, and I'm looking forward to hearing their arguments.
Once again, we are in need of some gift cards for our auction. Thank you so much to those families who have donated to our fun. The students love our auctions. They work hard to earn "money," and love trying to be the highest bidder for our items.
Tomorrow we will be conducting different science experiments in the middle school classrooms. Each experiment will be weather -related. This should be a lot of fun and very exciting!
8th Grade Reading:
Today we watched most of the movie The Outsiders, and will finish it tomorrow. Also, students will finish preparing for their seminar, which is scheduled for this Thursday. I'm looking forward to listening to them discuss the book. Next week we will start the book To Kill a Mockinbird, by Harper Lee. This is one of my all time favorite novels, and I can't wait to share it with the students.
7th Grade Reading:
Flocabulary lesson today, and the kids rocked the discussion! The packet is due at the end of the week. We will start reading The Maze Runner next week. I'm looking forward to teaching this book.
Writing:
Students are still writing argumentative essays. They are working on planning, and should be ready to start their introductions tomorrow. Each student has chosen a topic that he or she is passionate about, and I'm looking forward to hearing their arguments.
Once again, we are in need of some gift cards for our auction. Thank you so much to those families who have donated to our fun. The students love our auctions. They work hard to earn "money," and love trying to be the highest bidder for our items.
Monday, January 5, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
Hello and Happy New Year!
We had a great day back and got busy right away.
Projects:
We are starting our weather unit. Students are researching vocabulary terms and front loading so that they can start their big science fair weather project in the next couple of weeks. We will have a vocabulary quiz over all terms studied this week on Thursday, January 8.
8th Grade Reading:
Continuing with The Outsiders and will finish reading it this week. We will have a Paideia Seminar next Thursday. This is a round table discussion of various issues in the book. Students will be required to speak at least twice, and provide text evidence with their responses. This will be the final exam.
7th Grade Reading:
Continuing with Daily 5 and leveled comprehension passages. Today we watched our "Year in Rap" in Flocabulary and discussed happenings from 2014.
Writing:
We are going to head into argumentative essays. Today we did a "would you rather" exercise, where students looked up "would you rathers" and discussed them with table partners, giving both pros and cons. We will look at more serious issues in the next few days and move into writing a larger piece.
**Students are asking how they can see their grades. All information on how to get into Infinite Campus was sent home months ago with usernames and passwords. If you need this information again, please contact the front office.
We had a great day back and got busy right away.
Projects:
We are starting our weather unit. Students are researching vocabulary terms and front loading so that they can start their big science fair weather project in the next couple of weeks. We will have a vocabulary quiz over all terms studied this week on Thursday, January 8.
8th Grade Reading:
Continuing with The Outsiders and will finish reading it this week. We will have a Paideia Seminar next Thursday. This is a round table discussion of various issues in the book. Students will be required to speak at least twice, and provide text evidence with their responses. This will be the final exam.
7th Grade Reading:
Continuing with Daily 5 and leveled comprehension passages. Today we watched our "Year in Rap" in Flocabulary and discussed happenings from 2014.
Writing:
We are going to head into argumentative essays. Today we did a "would you rather" exercise, where students looked up "would you rathers" and discussed them with table partners, giving both pros and cons. We will look at more serious issues in the next few days and move into writing a larger piece.
**Students are asking how they can see their grades. All information on how to get into Infinite Campus was sent home months ago with usernames and passwords. If you need this information again, please contact the front office.
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