Monday, December 19, 2016

Please, please don't forget to send students with cheap stocking stuffers for Thursday if you choose to do so.

We will be watching "Elf" this Thursday in the classroom. If you don't want your student to participate please let me know and I will have another activity for him or her.

Class auction to be held this Thursday, provided we have items to auction off. Please send things in if possible.

Projects: Students are finishing up their Survival of the Fittest comics. They are turning out great!

7th Grade Reading: Students are working to finish their 3-D pyramids depicting 4 aspects of World War 1. We will finish by Wednesday at the latest.

Writing: Most are finished with narratives and are moving into free writing for the week. I have a fun holiday writing activity planned for Wednesday.

8th Grade Reading: Students are working on finishing their King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table reading projects. These need to be done by Wednesday so we are hustling!!!

This Thursday we will do some holiday related reading and writing, then watch the movie and go to the high school  lip sync assembly. For reading that day, kids are invited to bring a pillow or something to lay on while they read. I am giving them an entire block of "read to self" as per their request. :)

Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 12, 2016

This is the last week to send new pajamas for our Scholastic Pajama Drive sponsored by K-8 and high school student council. We are also still collecting canned food and toys for tots. Everything helps!

Projects: We will finish instruction on Natural Selection and Survival of the Fittest tomorrow. Students will create comic strips that depict an animal that has adapted to its environment as their final product. We will work on these Wednesday, Thursday, Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday will be a gallery walk so we can see everybody's creations. Next semester we will start social studies and do The 1920's, Great Depression, and World War 2. It's going to be awesome!

7th Grade Reading: As we finish frontloading information on World War 1, students will begin a project that demonstrates what they've learned. They will create a 3-D pyramid that explains several different aspects of WWI. Students will continue building stamina by reading the books that they love and writing responses to their reading.

Writing: Students are working hard to finish "Day in the Life" narratives. They are doing such a FABULOUS job on these. I am so impressed with how each student's writing has improved over the course of the semester.

8th Grade Reading: We will finish reading King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and complete a 3-D project that depicts one of the stories in the book. Students will be expected to focus on theme, characters (protagonists and antagonists), setting, and plot. Should be a fun way to end the semester!

Next Thursday we will have a class auction and do various holiday related activities. Don't forget students can bring in items to put in each other's stockings on this day. Also, we will be watching the movie Elf.

Homework:
7th: IXL P.1, Flocabulary main idea sheet (due Thursday)

8th: Poetry Annotations due Wednesday; read "Sir Percivale" in King Arthur for Tuesday's discussion

Monday, December 5, 2016

Please don't forget about our 7th grade stocking stuffing activity on Thursday, December 22nd. Each student, if they'd like, should bring a small treat to put in each stocking. This is meant to be fun and not expensive at all. The Dollar Tree is a great idea for this!

Also, we will be watching "Elf" on Thursday, December 22nd. If you don't want your student to watch this please let me know and I will find an alternate activity for him or her. 

This week:

Projects: We began our unit on Natural Selection today. We will be looking at Charles Darwin and his theories, and study how organisms change and adapt over time. This is our last science unit of the year. Beginning in January we will do social studies for projects. Our units there will cover the 1920's, The Great Depression, and World War 2. 

7th Grade Reading: This week we are going to delve into World War 1. We will read passages, do webquests and have discussions surrounding the Great War and its effects on the world. Students will continue to build reading stamina by reading books of their choice for pleasure.

Writing: Students continue working on narratives. They are writing "A Day in the Life" stories about an object or concept they are familiar with. 

8th Grade Reading: Students will study the Black Plague of the Middle Ages, famous people of the Middle Ages, and continue to read King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. 

Homework:
7th--Read for 20 minutes nightly; Flocabulary quiz Tuesday

8th--Read for 20 minutes nightly (finish "Kitchen Knight" chapter in King Arthur for Tuesday); Flocabulary quiz Tuesday; Wednesday night's reading will be a chapter in King Arthur. 

Monday, November 28, 2016

For a fun holiday treat I will be getting stockings for every student and putting their names on them. On the last day before break students are invited to bring in 20 small treats to put in stockings. Some ideas are candy canes, chocolates, pencils, handmade gifts, etc. Please know that this should not be more than a couple of dollars out of pocket (I'm thinking Dollar Tree). Of course this is optional, but a fun way to celebrate before our break.

This week:

Projects; We will finish our unit on heredity and take a final exam this Thursday.

7th Grade Reading: Students will learn about the Gilded Age and Progress Eras in our country's history. they will take notes, watch videos, read passages, and have discussion about these two periods of time. They are both important to understanding the state of our country prio to World War 1. Students will continue to build reading stamina and responding to their books in journals.

Writing: This week we are starting narrative writing and the kids are thrilled, to say the least. We are looking at mentor texts and discussing techniques used in effective narratives. Students will write a story on "A Day in the Life of a _______" Each student will choose an object they can relate to and tell a story about a day in the life of that object. Some examples are "A Day in the Life of a Football" or "A Day in the life of a paintbrush." These are fun to write and I'm excited to see the students get creative!  We will continue to build writing stamina through journal prompts, diagram sentences, and work on IXL skills. Quiz this Thursday on the 8 parts of speech.

8th Grade Reading: Students will continue to learn about various aspects of the Middle Ages. We are looking at the Crusades, the Black Death, feudalism, and important people of this time period.  We will also continue to read King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. 

Monday, November 14, 2016

Tuesday is the trip to the Senior Center with Mr. Lenon. Students need their permission slip and $3.

Human Growth and Development starts this Thursday. Please send signed permission slip. Students will NOT be allowed to participate without one.

Projects: We are continuing our study of heredity and genetics. This week we will play with Punnett squares and deepen our understanding of how traits are passed down and the probability of dominant and recessive genes showing up. This is really fun stuff!

7th Grade Reading: We will finish Two Miserable Presidents this week and take a test over the vocabulary and certain concepts. We have been learning so much and reading this book in great detail. I know the students are coming away with a nice grasp of the Civil War! Story Elements Quiz this Thursday! We will review terms on Tuesday.

Writing: Argumentative essays are due Thursday at the end of writing block. Students have really done well on these, and the improvement in their writing is astounding. I am also so impressed with the kids' desire to share their writing with the class. The confidence is building and I'm seeing the love of writing start to seep through. :)

8th Grade Reading: We will read chapters 2 and 3 of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table this week (maybe even more if all goes smoothly). I'm hoping the kids enjoy something a little different here. The book is full of action, as well as language and syntax more often found in earlier books.

Homework:
7th grade--20 minutes reading (Tuesday IXL V.1 Inappropriate shifts in verb tense)
8th Grade--20 minutes of reading/fill out logs (Tuesday and Wednesday read King Arthur)

Monday, November 7, 2016

Projects: This week we will continue to learn about heredity and genes. Students are completing small assignments, watch clips and taking notes on this topic in order to complete a final project int he next couple of weeks.

7th Grade Reading: I am hoping to finish Two Miserable Presidents with the students this week. We have really enjoyed learning about the Civil War and all of the people, places and concepts related to it. Students will have a final reading exam on the book.....details TBA! Vocabulary quiz scheduled for this Thursday!

Writing: This week students will complete their rough drafts of argumentative essays. I will conference with students as they move into the editing/revising process and final drafts.

8th Grade Reading: We will start reading King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table this week to go with our study of the Middle Ages. Students will complete activities as they read. We will also touch on poetry and annotations again. I check reading logs daily. Many students are forgetting to bring them and fill them out. This is impacting their grade, as they receive a weekly reading log grade every week. 

Homework this week:

7th Grade: Study for vocabulary quiz in science/read for 20/fill out logs
8th Grade: Read for 20 minutes, fill out log

Class Auction scheduled for November 17th (possibly the 23rd). We need items if you are able!

Monday, October 31, 2016

We had a great time today! Students wore awesome costumes and created very cool pumpkins.

Projects: Tomorrow we will being a new unit on genetics. We will spend the next 2 weeks frontloading information before moving into a final product.

7th Grade Reading: Students will continue to answer questions related to our book Two Miserable Presidents. I really feel like the kids are gaining so much knowledge about the Civil War with this book. I am proud of their abilities to read and think critically.

Writing: We will begin our outlines and rough drafts of argumentative essays this week. We have spent a week looking at topics and writing sample opinions on things. Students are really gaining a lot of ground with their organization in writing.

8th Grade Reading: This week we will spend a lot of time frontloading information on the Middle Ages and King Arthur. Next week we will start reading the novel King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I'm excited to do this one!

Homework this week:
7th:
Monday--None (enjoy Trick or Treating and family time)
Tuesday--H.1 (Capitalization) I will take a grade on this 
Wednesday-- Read for 20, or do IXL H.1 if you haven't mastered
Thursday--Read for 20, or IXL H.1 if you haven't mastered

8th Grade:
20 minutes of reading/fill out log
(no homework Monday night for Halloween)

Monday, October 24, 2016

Halloween dance this Friday, October 28th from 6:00-10:00. Cost is $5 with a costume, $7 without.

Monday, October 31st students may wear costumes to school. ALSO, we will have a pumpkin decorating party that afternoon from 2:00 (ish)-3:30. Students will need a pumpkin and any materials they would like to use to decorate their pumpkin with. I will have some items available, but the more students bring in the better. In the past I have had princess pumpkins, super heroes, television and movie characters, etc. I expect great things from this group! :) Students may also bring in a snack to share with the class for this. 

Projects: This week students will finish up and present their endangered species project. The kids have worked hard, and I'm impressed with their patience as we try new programs and ideas. I told them we adapt and just deal with problems and they have done great! This Thursday there will be a final exam on ecosystems. This will be a multiple choice assessment and will not include the vocabulary, as students have already tested well on it. To prepare for the test, students should watch 2 Brainpop videos: one on the energy pyramid and one on food chains. We have already watched them together, so this is review.

7th Grade Reading: Students are finishing Civil War posters with their partners. We will continue reading and analyzing Two Miserable Presidents. On Wednesday students will read and annotate a poem, as well as create a graphic novel to go with it. This is a fun activity and this group is always so creative!

Writing: This week we will write an argumentative essay together. Through modeling students will gain a deep understanding of how to present points and counterpoints in this type of writing. Students will also continue to build stamina through daily writing prompts (they love these!)

8th Grade Reading: Students will finish major world religions posters and present them tomorrow (Tuesday). On Wednesday we will visit poetry again and kids will get to create a graphic novel with their assigned poem. Thursday we will start the Middle Ages and complete a webquest!

Homework this week:
7th Grade: 20 minutes reading nightly/fill out log
8th Grade: 20 minutes reading nightly/fill out log

Monday, October 10, 2016

Class auction scheduled for this Thursday at 12:25.  We are always looking for fun items to put up on the block!

Projects: Students will continue to research and work on presentations and infographics for their ecosystem projects. They are working so hard on this! Vocabulary quiz this Thursday on ALL ecosystem vocabulary!

7th Grade Reading: This week students will take a person, place or idea about the Civil War and work with a partner to create a poster about it. Partners will present the posters on Thursday!

Writing: We are trying to finish the causes of the Civil War essays. This is the last major paper due this quarter and kids should finish up tomorrow. We will end the quarter with some fun writing from Kelly Gallagher's book Write Like This.

8th Grade Reading: This week students will study the five major religions in the world and work in groups to create a poster or presentation about one of them. This will take us into the Middle Ages when we start the 2nd quarter. I'm so excited.....we're going to read King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table!

Homework this week:
7th: 20 minutes of reading OR study science vocabulary terms
8th: 20 minutes of reading (if students in other projects classes have a quiz this week on vocabulary they may use the 20 minutes to study also)

Monday, October 3, 2016

Projects: This week students will break into teams and begin researching and focusing on their specific roles for their project. The project focuses on endangered species. Each team will choose a species and create a plan of recovery to present to members of "congress."

7th Grade Reading: Continuing with Two Miserable Presidents, students will learn about the first major battles of the Civil War.

Writing: Using their whole class reading book, Two Miserable Presidents, students choose 3 causes of the Civil War and use the book to cite evidence.  We will focus on cause and effect strategies for reading strategies, along with writing strategies.

8th Grade Reading: We will continue to read about Ancient Greece and disucss its cultural, societal and religious contributions. On Thursday students will have a test on characteristics of civilizations, along with their knowledge of contributions made to modern society.

Class auction scheduled for this Thursday, October 6, at 3:00.

Please remember to send any spare change or dollar bills to school for our fundraiser for the Fallon Youth Club!

Monday, September 26, 2016

Projects: This week we started a unit on ecosystems. Students will learn about various types of ecosystems, abiotic and biotic factors, and how and why energy and matter cylcle through the energy pyramid and food chain of ecosystems.

7th Grade Reading: We will continue reading Two Miserable Presidents and use CAFE strategies of identifying cause and effect relationships of the Civil War. We will also continue to cite specific evidence when answering critical thinking questions. The kids are really getting good at this!
Of course, students will read to self, respond to their reading, and work on word work with root of the week.

Writing: This week students will use informative writing techniques outlined in Kelly Gallagher's Write Like This to write the "unofficial and unwritten rules" of an element in their lives. Ask the kids about mine; I wrote about the "unofficial and unwritten rules of raising teenage girls." Students continue to build writing stamina through daily writing prompts.

8th Grade Reading: This week students will read material related to Ancient Greece and cite textual evidence to write about the cultural, societal and governmental contributions of the civilization.

Homework:
7th Grade
Monday--watch 20 minutes of presidential debate or read 20 minutes
Tuesday--IXL A.3
Wednesday--Read for 20 or IXL A.3 (A.3 taken for a grade this week)
Thursday--Read 20
Record all homework on log

Homework
8th Grade
Monday--watch 20 minutes of presidential debate or read 20 minutes
Tuesday--read passage on "The Rise of the Hellenic Civilization"
Wednesday Read passage "The Wars With Perisa"
Thursday--Read for 20
Record all homework on log

Monday, September 19, 2016

Picture day for us is this Thursday, September 22 at 12:00!

Projects: Students took a final assessment on body systems today and will spend the rest of the week learning about the importance of photosynthesis in the flow of energy between organisms.

7th Grade Reading: This week we will continue to read Two Miserable Presidents and answer comprehenstion questions related to the causes of the Civil War. Of course we watched "The Week in Rap" today and the kids had awesome input!

Writing: This week students will finish their final drafts of their electoral college essays, while continuing to build writing stamina through daily prompts.

8th Grade Reading: This week students will read about Ancient Egypt and its contributions to civilization today. We will also look at character traits in poetry. 

Homework this week:

7th:

Monday/Wednesday--IXL A.1 and A.2 (put this down on reading log!)

Tuesday/Thursday--20 minutes reading 

8th:

Monday-Thursday--20 minutes reading/ fill out log

Monday, September 12, 2016

7th grade will have their first class auction this Thursday at about 12:20! A BIG thank you to those who have sent auction items in. We have candy, giftcards, socks, and other fun items to auction off. It's always funny to watch students pay "$1000" for a big hershey bar. :)

Projects: This week students will finish their body systems posters and present them. There will be a final assessment on the 6 body systems we covered on Monday, September 19.

7th Grade Reading: We will start our study of the Civil War through reading! Together we will read Two Miserable Presidents, by Steve Sheinkin. This is on of my FAVORITE authors! He really knows how to make history enjoyable to read about. Students will complete response questions, vocabulary activities and "who's who" exercises so they can get the most out of this book. We will continue our Daily 3 (Read to Self, Work on Writing through reading response, and Word Work through root of the week).

Writing: Students are hard at it trying to write their first informative essays. Everyone has conferenced with me at least once (some a lot more than that as they move through it). They are working hard and I'm anxious to see their final drafts.

8th Grade Reading: We will begin looking at Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia through informational reading this week. Students will continue with their Daily 3 (Read to Self, Work on Writing through reading response, and Word Work through root of the week).

Homework this week:
7th: 20 minutes reading log (may study science vocabulary and human body functions during this time)
8th: 20 minutes reading log

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Projects: This week students will work on their human body posters centered around one of the 6 body systems we are studying.

7th Grade Reading: We will continue working on building reading and writing stamina through read to self and reading response journals. Also, students will learn differences between northern and southern economies during the Antebellum Era.

Writing: Students will write an informative essay about the Electoral College process. They will complete informal outlines and rough drafts this week. Every student will conference with me as they move through the writing process.

8th Grade Reading: Students will learn about technological advances during the period of early farming through the reading of informational text passages. They will also continue to build reading and writing stamina through read to self.

Homework: 
Both 7th and 8th graders should watch the Week in Rap for this week and read the stories that are tied to each link. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

8th grade quiz over story elements this Thursday!

Class Auction scheduled for Thursday, September 15.

Monday, August 29, 2016

Test tomorrow in projects! We will have both a vocabulary and a constructed response section. Study, study, study!

These 7th graders ROCKED their first project on cells! I am so proud of them and really impressed with their work and work ethic!

This week:

Projects:
Test Tuesday over structures and functions of cells and their parts
Wednesday we start human body systems and will study the respiratory, nervous, excretory, muscular and circulatory systems for the next couple of weeks.

7th Grade Reading
This week we will continue to pull main idea out of informative texts. We will also read and annotate poetry, as well as texts related to the Antebellum Era.We continue to do our Daily Three routine with Read to Self, Work on Writing (reading response) and Word Work (Root of the Week),

Writing:
We are starting our first big writing assignment! Students will write an informative paper on the Electoral College (it's a big topic, but they'll do great!). We started today with looking at examples of informative essays written by 7th graders. Tomorrow we are going to focus on what a thesis statement is. Students will start note taking and working on informal outlines on Wednesday and Thursday. Also, students will work on IXL WW skills (organizing writing) and do some free journal writing.

8th Grade Reading:
This week we will continue to identify main ideas and details in informative texts. Students will also read and annotate articles relating to early farming throughout the world. We continue to do our Daily Three routine with Read to Self, Work on Writing (reading response) and Word Work (Root of the Week).

Homework this week:
7th and 8th grade reading--20 minutes of reading and fill out reading log every night. Parents sign every Sunday.

Monday, August 22, 2016

It was great to see all the parents at Back to School Night last Thursday. Please, please send back any outstanding paperwork by the end of this week.

This week in a snapshot:

Projects: Students will work all week on their group cell projects AND study vocabulary for a quiz this Thursday.

7th Grade Reading: We will focus on pulling main idea and details from informative texts dealing with current events. We will also look at how to determine cause and effect while reading texts surrounding the topic of Antebellum America. Poetry Wednesday will be fun! We will read a poem called "Abandoned Farmhouse" and students will learn to annotate poems! Yahoo!

Writing: Today students wrote a narrative as an unassisted writing sample for their files. I will look at these and use them as a guide for improving writing and as a beginning of the year unassisted benchmark. Later this week we will look at the 6 writing traits, make booklets to reference all year and move into our first informative piece of writing.

8th Grade Reading: Students are focusing on pulling out main idea and details, as well as writing about characters, plot and setting with their own read to self book. Later this week we will look farming in early civilizations and read informative texts about that topic. We will also read a ballad poem and use plot boxes to comprehend it. I'm hoping for a replay of them when they performed "The Wreck of the Hesperus" last year!

Homework:

7th Grade--20 minutes of reading each night/fill out reading log (students can study cell vocabulary words as part of this this week)

8th Grade--20 minutes of reading each night/fill out reading log

Please send in items for our class auctions if you're able. Anything goes--kids love candy, $5 gift cards, fun socks, homemade items, and the list goes on!!!!

Monday, August 15, 2016

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

What a wonderful day we had together! I have a class full of sweet, smart, kind children. I am thrilled that I get to spend a whole year with them.

Please don't forget Back To School Night this Thursday, August 18th at 5:30. We will start in the lunchroom and then go to my classroom from there. Please bring all completed paperwork to me that night.

This week in school we are:

Projects: Learning about structures and processes of cells. This week we will frontload information by looking at websites, reading passages and watching short videos.

7th Grade Reading: Students will work on Reading to Self every day and building reading stamina. We will start reading about the Antebellum Era Tuesday and look at some poetry on Wednesday.

Writing: Students will write short samples for me and we will make bookets that cover the 6 traits of writing for us to keep in our folders all year. We write, write and write some more in my class and I will provide them with as many tools to make them successful as I possibly can think of.

8th Grade Reading: Love having these guys and gals back this year! We will start reading about early civilizations and preagrarian societies through reading. We will also start poetry this Wednesday. As always, students must have a book that they are excited to read in class every day so they can Read to Self and build that stamina.

Homework:
7th and 8th Grade Reading--20 minutes of reading every night (This will not be their homework every night. There will be many times that students come home with Flocabulary homeowrk or have IXL practice in lieu of reading. 

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our Code Red Drill. Please read the emails that have been sent out by the school personnel. I also sent home a paper copy of the information with each student today.

Projects: Students played their games today and I sat with each group individually, reviewed the rubric and graded each gameboard.

8th Grade Reading: We have spent 2 days on this week's "Week in Rap" and still aren't finished! It's an 18 year review, so it goes back to 1998 and has stories from then up to now. The kids are having great dialog!

7th Grade Reading: Still trying to finish "The Week in Rap." :) We also spent some time listening to 5th graders present their projects today. They did a phenomenal job!

Writing: Very little writing today, as we spent time reviewing procedures for Code Red and reading/writing to self.

**One more auction scheduled for next week. Kids are excited!

**End of Year dance this Friday from 6-10. Hope to see everyone there

**Field day next Thursday.   :)

Monday, May 2, 2016

7th graders test Monday and Wednesday of this week. 8th graders test Monday, Wednesday and Thursday!

Projects: Students will work on completing their gameboard project around westward expansion. These are due Monday, April 9.

7th Grade Reading: We will finish Which Way to the Wild West this week and continue to work on vocabulary and reading comprehension questions associated with it. Vocabulary quiz tomorrow (Tuesday) over words from the section "The Road to Little Bighorn." 

8th Grade Reading: Students will watch "The Week in Rap" this week and hold discussions surrounding it. I only have them one day for reading this week, so we will hit as much as possible!

Writing: Students will continue to write responses to reading questions and provide detailed evidence in their responses.

Important Dates:

May 13 End of Year Dance

May 18 8th Grade Graduation

May 19 Last Day of School and Field Day

Monday, April 18, 2016

Projects: This week we are learning about the California Gold Rush, the Mexican American War and the Texas Revolution. Students will watch video clips and complete short answer questions and graphic organizers related to these topics.

8th Grade Reading: We will finish Paideia tomorrow (Tuesday). Students have been rigorously responding to questions I'm asking about To Kill a Mockingbird. When we finish we will focus on independent reading, along with reading related to Westward Expansion.

7th Grade Reading and Writing: Today we read a portion of Which Way to the Wild West. Students then worked in collaborative groups to complete short responses to questions using text evidence. We will give feedback on each other's responses and talk about how to improve upon them (SBAC practice!). We continue to Read to Self every day for 20-30 minutes to build stamina. These students are all able to read independently for longer periods of time, which will help them immensely with testing. Students should read for 20 minutes each night this week for homework. We will not have Flocabulary homework. I may send home Westward Expansion homework and will update the blog if I do.

7th graders will take the math SBAC this Wednesday and Thursday. Parents, please have your kiddos to school on time, well fed and armed with lots of water and snacks. A good night's rest the night before is essential also!

Monday, April 11, 2016

Testing for students begins next week. Please make sure students are on time every day and have gotten a lot of sleep!  :)

Projects: This week will will read about, discuss and watch short clips on the Trail of Tears and information related to it. Students will take a test over the material on Thursday, April 14.

8th Grade Reading: Paideai Seminar on To Kill a Mockingbird is this Thursday and will carry into the following Monday. Students are spending their class time preparing responses with evidence to each question.

Writing: Root of the week is "port" which is Lating for "carry." Students will free write in their journals and practice short writing prompts to get them ready for testing.

7th Grade Reading: Flocabulary on Monday and Westward Expansion readings the rest of the week. Students are answering short answer questions on their book Which Way to the Wild West. Flocabulary homework due Thursday. Students MUST develope one question into multiple paragraphs. The other 2 can be one paragraph but must contain evidence.

Auction scheduled for next Thursday, April 21. We are in need of goodies! I picked up a few things, but we can always use more.:)

Monday, April 4, 2014

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your break. 

Projects: Today we started working on our westward expansion unit. Students will read passages and answer questions related to westward expansion this week and next.

8th Grade Reading: Today and tomorrow we are watching the movie To Kill a Mockingbird. Students will compare the novel and the movie as part of their Paideia Seminar requirements. We will work on Paideia questions Wednesday and Thursday.

Writing: Root of the Week is "poly", which is Greek for "many." Students worked on finding new words that contain the root and writing sentences with them. We are finishing a writing prompt about disappointments and will move into another piece this week. I intend to have them write A LOT in the next few weeks and cover format for both narrative and informative again. 

7th Grade Reading: We watch "The Week in Rap" and discussed the topics. We are having such interesting conversations about the current events. This is an opinionated bunch of kids and I love it! Flocabulary homework for 7th grade is due Thursday. Questions must be answered in complete thoughts and also must contain details in students' reasoning.
We will start reading a book called Which Way to the Wild West on Tuesday of this week. It's really wonderful! It's written by Steve Sheinkin and is meant to be nonfiction fun. Students will learn a lot about westward movement by reading this. Students will work on completing questions and vocabulary activities centered around ths book.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Projects: Students are working on writing songs about the 3 types of heat transfer: radiation, conduction and convection. Songs will be performed in class on Thursday and we will move into a social studies unit on Westward Expansion when we return from break.

8th Grade Reading: We will finish To Kill a Mockingbird this week. When we return from break we will watch the movie, then prepare for Paideia Seminar. We did one last year, so I know the kids will really rock it this year! Reading Response due Thursday: Explain Scout's confusion over Miss Gate's comments about the persecution of the Jews.

7th Grade Reading: This week we are focusing on reading to self to build stamina, taking reading assessments to check for comprehension, critical thinkin skills and vocabulary and looking at different types of texts structures for nonfiction texts. We are going to start reading Which Way to the Wild West when we return from break. It's a nonfiction book about Westward Expansion. It's written by one of my favorites....Steve Sheinkin! Flocabulary homework is due this Thursday. 

Writing: Root of the Week is "pod", which is Greek for foot. Students are working on a writing prompt: Explain how disappointments can be a good thing.  It will be due this week. We are really working to write quickly and concisely.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Congratulations to my 7th graders for winning the Flocabulary "Week in Rap" Shout Out Contest! I'm so proud of them!!!


Projects: This week we will work on reading passages related to the transfer of energy and finish our diagrams showing the transfer of energy in the labs we did last week.

8th Grade Reading: This week we will watch "The Week in Rap," discuss poetry and read several chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird.  Flocabulary homework is due Thursday (I will hand it out tomorrow) and annotations are due Wednesday for poetry.

7th Grade Reading: This week we will work on reading stamina through read to self. We will also watch and discuss "The Week in Rap" and work on poetry. Poetry annotations due Wednesday; Flocabulary due Thursday.

Writing: IXL QQ.1-QQ4 this week (Greek and Latin roots); we will write a quick opinion paper this week over one of our "Week in Rap" topics. My goal is to get them writing quickly and using evidence to back up what they are saying. We have to be able to write well in a short amount of time! Quiz on all root word from the year on Thursday! Students just need to know the root and meaning. 

Please mark your calendars for student led conferences this Friday, March 18, from 8:00-2:00. I look forward to seeing you at school with your student. 

Monday, March 7, 2016

Projects: We are working on our essential question every day this week: How is energy transferred between systems in the natural world?  Students will participate in a variety of labs and end the week by demonstrating they can create scientific diagrams that help viewers understand what they are learning.

8th Grade Reading: Today we watched and read about current event during Flocabulary. Flocabulary homework is due this Thursday. We will continue reading and discussing To Kill a Mockingbird. The students are enjoying the novel and we have had some incredible dialogue with it.

7th Grade Reading: Flocabulary today!We will work on CAFE reading strategies this week, and also visit more poetry on Wednesday. We are working REALLY hard on reading stamina. The students are very squirmy, fidgety, etc. right now and are struggling with reading for prolonged periods of time. I'm guessing they are getting ready for spring break. :) It's important that all students work on reading for 20-25 minutes quietly every day and remain focused.

Writing: Root of the Week is "phon" (Greek root meaning "sound"); IXL objects are QQ.1 and QQ.2 (Recognizing Greek and Latin roots)
We will be doing some free writing and will also write short prompts to get them ready for SBAC.


Homework: Flocabulary homework is due this Thursday.  Poetry annotations for "Seeing the World are due this Wednesday

Auction items are needed! We will try to have an auction this Thursday, but I am out of fun things to auction off. Thank you so much for all of the support you've offered this year with this!

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Projects: Students are working to understand our essential question: How is energy transferred through various systems in the natural world? We are working on collecting data, graphin and interpreting it to make concslusions. This week students will build catapults and test them, then shoot them at a target several times to build conclusions about potential and kinetic energy.

8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary on Monday, Mockingbird Tuesday and Thursday and poetry on Wednesday.....we stay busy and are making great connections to everything we do.  Eighth graders will participate in a Paideai Seminar as their final exam over To Kill a Mockingbird. I don't have an exact date on it yet, but students will be given the guidelines soon. Poetry annotations for "The Cafe" are due Wednesday (tomorrow). 

7th Grade Reading: Students continue to prepare for their Paideia/ Socratic Seminar that is scheduled for this Thursday. They have been given 4 topics and have researched and built evidence and discussion points for all of them. Students must speak in order to be given any credit and they must speak at least 3 times to be considered for full credit.

Writing: We finished our 3 writing prompts on topics dealing with The Outsiders. I conferenced with each student over these. Most of them need to keep working on writing quickly and answering prompts as effectively as possible while working under time constraints. Knowing how to develop a thesis quickly and build on it through the body and wrap it up in a conclusion is a MUST for writing success. :)  We continue to work with a root of the week, along with various IXL skills each week.

Monday, February 22, 2016

We will start a new unit today in projects. The unit will cover different forms of energy, how potential energy converts to kinetic energy and how energy transforms from one form to another in the natural world.

8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary today....We watched "The Week in Rap" and had meaningful discussions about this week's current events. Flocabulary homework is due for 8th graders on Wednesday of this week.

7th Grade Reading: We watched the movie version of The Outsiders and talked about similarities and differences between it and the novel. Most of us agree that the novel is WAY better than the movie. Tomorrow we will watch Flocabulary and start working on our notes for our upcoming seminar on the novel. Flocabulary homework for 7th grade is due this Thursday. Poetry annotations for 7th grade for "The Wreck of the Hesperus" are due Wednesday of this week.

Writing: Root of the week is "luc" (Latin for "light); students will continue to work on their 3 Outsiders writing prompts and turn them in for grades this week. We will also keep working on sentence diagramming.

**I am in need of auction items!!! Any items donated are much appreciated!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Tomorrow students will present their simple machine projects to parents. Stop by the "dungeon" any time between 8:30 and 9:50 to see their creations!

Projects: Students are finishing up with simple maching presentations, and then we will move onto our next science project surrounding energy. We are still building the project, so more to come soon!

8th Grade Reading: Students are enoying To Kill a Mockingbird and are making a lot of connections and predictions about the novel. Tomorrow we are going to Mrs. Stockard's room to watch presentations on allegories. It will be nice for the 8th graders to have a glimpse of high school happenings. Poetry annotations for "Sunbeam Confesses its Love of Geometry" are due tomorrow, 2/17.

7th Grade Reading: We went over the rules to Paideia Seminar, which the students will participate in for their final reading test on The Outsiders. Students also started an analyzing chart related to the novel and will complete it in groups. We continue to read independently for at least 15 minutes every reading block.

Writing: Today we focused on sentence diagramming and Root of the Week, which is "omni." Ask your child what the root means and what its origin is. We will do some free writing and complete a writing prompt relating to The Outsiders this week. The prompt will be completed in one writing block and taken for a grade. This is part of my attempt to get the students writing quickly and efficiently. They all have the "how to" down and now need to work on writing under a time limit.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Projects: Students are working on the presentation aspect of the simple machines project. We are hoping to finish these tomorrow or Wednesday and be ready to present on Thursday.

8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary's "Week in Rap!" Students listened to and discussed the current events from the past week. We will read chapters 5 and 6 tomorrow in To Kill a Mockingbird and work on finding evidence of theme in the novel. Wednesday we will look at a new poem and annotations will be due next Wednesday for it.

7th Grade Reading; Flocabulary's "Week in Rap!" Students listened to and discussed the current events from the past week. We will read chapters 9 and 10 in The Outsiders and discuss issues related to the novel. On Wednesday we will read a poem called "The Wreck of the Hesperus." It's a long ballad/narrative. Students will act it out in groups and annotate it for two weeks (it's a long one, so it will take a while).

Writing: Students are working on comparison/contrast essays on Greasers and Socs. They had last Thursday to start notes and the essay will be due tomorrow at the end of the writing block. We are working on writing quickly and efficiently in order to succeed at the SBAC!

Homework:
8th Flocabulary due Thursday and poetry due next Wednesday
7th Flocabulary due Thursday and poetry due 2/24

This Friday is our Valentine's dance for middle school. I hope to see EVERY student there!:)

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Projects: Some students are still trying to figure out their model using simple machines to complete a simple task. It's hard work and they've done well! We will work on presentations for the rest of the week and present next week.

8th Grade Reading: Students took a short quiz on To Kill a Mockingbird yesterday. Today we watched "The Week in Rap" and started our discussions. Students need to study the website and be prepared for a Flocabulary quiz tomorrow. 

7th Grade Reading: Students are working on determining  narrative elements of The Outsiders. Today we read chapter 6 together and students need to read chapter 7 independently for homework tonight. 

Writing: We will be doing numerous short essays around our novel The Outsiders. We are starting with a comparison/contrast on the similarities between the Socs and Greasers. Next week we will write about which one we would rather be, using evidence from the text.

We will have an auction on Thursday. Please send in items if you are able. 

Monday, January 25, 2016

Projects: Students continue to build a 3D model of a structure that uses simple machines to complete a simple task. They will have the rest of the week to work on their structures during projects. This is a change from our original schedule. We will give the students 2 extra days so they can refine their products!

8th Grade Reading: Today we watched Flocabulary and discussed the stories from the week. Students have a Flocabulary page due in class tomorrow. They must write the summaries of the stories by using main idea, details and complete sentences. 
Tomorrow we will start To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. We will begin by researching Harper Lee and gaining an understanding of her as an author and how her own experiences may have led to her writing this novel.

7th Grade Reading: Today we watched Flocabulary and discussed the stories from the week. Students have a Flocabulary page due in class tomorrow, Tuesday, January 26. They must write the summaries of the stories by using main idea, details and complete sentences. 
Throughout the week we will discuss the characters who are introduced in The Outsiders and add character traits to a shared document we started today.
Poetry annotations due Wednesday, January 27 for 7th grade for the  poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay." 

Writing: Students are finishing up their expressive/reflective writing on their favorite mistake. This group has some serious talent with narrative writing! We will finish these then go back to more informative/expository writing. We continue to work on IXL lessons and Root of the Week.

We will have an auction next Thursday, February 4. Please send in items for the auction if you are able.  Thank you!

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Projects: Students finished blueprints of prototype demonstrating simple machines to perform a simple task  and will begin building tomorrow.

8th Grade Reading: Students will take their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde final tomorrow. They have been preparing and should have all of their notes ready to go. I plan to give them a few minutes more to prepare before they start. If they don't finish, they will have time to do so on Thursday.

7th Grade Reading: Flocabulary! Students watched and read about current events by listening to and viewing the "Week in Rap". Homework due tomorrow--2 pages of "Week in Rap" We will start a new book this week. We will be reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders.

Writing: We are moving into another narrative titled "My Favorite Mistake." Students will recall a time when they made a decision that resulted in a less than desirable consequence. They will end with a reflection on what they learned and what their thoughts are today.

There will be no Valentine's Day parties at school this year. Please do not allow students to bring class Valentines to school.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Projects: Students were put into groups of 4 for their simple machines project. Everyone should be brainstorming ideas and items that can be brought from home to construct an 8 step machine that performs a simple task.

8th Reading: We are trying to finish Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Students will collect evidence of duality for their final and take the final on Thursday.

7th Reading: Finished Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde today. Tomorrow students will work on collecting evidence of duality from the novella, and choose an example of duality in real life to discuss and give examples of.  We also watched Flocabulary's "Week in Rap." Students have one page of Flocabulary homework due tomorrow.

7th and 8th poetry annotations due Wednesday

Monday, January 4, 2016

Happy New Year Bighorn Families! I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful holiday break. Now, back to reality. :)

Projects: We started a new science project today. Students will be researching Rube Goldberg and designing, in groups, an 8 step prototype using simple machines to accomplish a simple task. Today we put together the trap in Mousetrap games, watched videos that demonstrated a series of simple machines working to accomplish tasks and went over the project and some of the guidelines. This project should be a lot of fun and the students seem excited about it.

7th and 8th Grade Reading: Flocabulary's Week in Rap featured the end of 2015 with top stories from the year. We spend A LOT of class time discussing and reading the stories, and 7th graders took a quiz. Eighth grade will take their quiz tomorrow.

Writing: Root of the week is "geo." Students worked on origin and sample sentences using words with the root "geo" in them.  We also wrote freely, which students always love to do. We are going to go deeper into reflective writing this week and do IXL to learn to recognize sentences with vague pronouns.

Happy January!!!