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!