Student-led conferences are this Friday. Please stop by with your child at any time between 8 am and 4 pm.
Projects: We started studying World War 2 today. Students will frontload vocabulary terms and learn the causes of WW2 this week.
7th Grade Reading: This week we will review figurative language terms with Flocabulary and IXL, read our independent reading books, write lengthy reading responses, annotate poetry, and read and summarize nonfiction text with "The Week in Rap."
8th Grade Reading: Students watched To Kill a Mockingbird today, and will spend the next 5-6 reading blocks preparing their responses for our Paideia Seminar.
Writing: This week students will learn to evaluate and judge by reading reviews of some of their favorite movies, books, games, etc. Using the book Write Like This as a mentor text, we will rate products, then write formal reviews for them.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
This is the final week that students can improve IXL scores for this quarter. Students need to let me know if they go in and improve their scores on graded IXL work.
Projects: Websites on the Great Depression are due at the end of the projects block on Tuesday. We will present them Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The kids have work so hard on these and I'm seeing great work.
7th Grade Reading: This week we will focus on CAFE strategies and Daily 3 (read to self, work on writing through reading response, and word work). Students are begging for more time to read their books of choice, so I will be allowing a little more time for that this week. They did a great job on their Paideia Semina, which took a lot of preparation. I will enjoy giving them time to relax a bit with their books. I will use the time to conference with individual students and do fluency checks.
8th Grade Reading: We will finish To Kill a Mockingbird this week and move into Paideia Seminar preparation. Students will have more questions than last year to collect evidence on and will participate in the seminar the second week we return from spring break. We will watch the movie version on Monday, April 27th. If you don't want your child to see this film, please let me know asap and I will plan an alternative but equitable assignment for him or her.
Writing: Phew!!!! We have been working on collaborative argumentative essays. Students are getting in groups, writing introductions, coming together as a class to discuss/provide feedback, and then doing the same thing with their body paragraphs and conclusions. Tuesday and Wednesday students will write one on their own (unassisted). This piece of writing will be counted as a 4th quarter grade. I am so impressed with all of the progress these kids have made in writing this year.
Homework:
7th: Read for 20 minutes each night and complete reading log
8th: Read for 20 minutes (Mockingbird reading both Tuesday and Wednesday nights); complete reading log
Projects: Websites on the Great Depression are due at the end of the projects block on Tuesday. We will present them Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The kids have work so hard on these and I'm seeing great work.
7th Grade Reading: This week we will focus on CAFE strategies and Daily 3 (read to self, work on writing through reading response, and word work). Students are begging for more time to read their books of choice, so I will be allowing a little more time for that this week. They did a great job on their Paideia Semina, which took a lot of preparation. I will enjoy giving them time to relax a bit with their books. I will use the time to conference with individual students and do fluency checks.
8th Grade Reading: We will finish To Kill a Mockingbird this week and move into Paideia Seminar preparation. Students will have more questions than last year to collect evidence on and will participate in the seminar the second week we return from spring break. We will watch the movie version on Monday, April 27th. If you don't want your child to see this film, please let me know asap and I will plan an alternative but equitable assignment for him or her.
Writing: Phew!!!! We have been working on collaborative argumentative essays. Students are getting in groups, writing introductions, coming together as a class to discuss/provide feedback, and then doing the same thing with their body paragraphs and conclusions. Tuesday and Wednesday students will write one on their own (unassisted). This piece of writing will be counted as a 4th quarter grade. I am so impressed with all of the progress these kids have made in writing this year.
Homework:
7th: Read for 20 minutes each night and complete reading log
8th: Read for 20 minutes (Mockingbird reading both Tuesday and Wednesday nights); complete reading log
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Monday, March 7, 2016
Projects: Students will continue building websites on the Great Depression using videos and reading passages that we watch and read together.
7th Grade Reading: Wednesday is our Paideia Seminar, so students are working ro prepare comments and evidence in response to questions. This is a great exercise and I'm so excited to hear what students have to say.
8th Grade Reading: We will spend most of our week reading and discussing To Kill a Mockingbird. The plan is to finish the book before spring break and participate in Paideia Seminar when we return. We will also watch the movie starring Gregory Peck----he does a great job as Atticus Finch!
Writing: We are working through another collaborative writing assignment. This time is argumentative and students are writing their essays in groups of 5. I am loving this because the kids are really getting into discussing the resources they have to use and having conversations about what evidence to use, transitions, etc. Next week they will write an unassisted argumentative piece.
Homework:
7th Grade: Read for 20 minutes, fill out logs (working on Paideia is fine)
8th Grade: Read for 20 minutes; to chapter 24 by Tuesday and to chapter 26 by Wednesday. Stay tuned for Wednesday night reading (depends on how far we get Wednesday during our block)
7th Grade Reading: Wednesday is our Paideia Seminar, so students are working ro prepare comments and evidence in response to questions. This is a great exercise and I'm so excited to hear what students have to say.
8th Grade Reading: We will spend most of our week reading and discussing To Kill a Mockingbird. The plan is to finish the book before spring break and participate in Paideia Seminar when we return. We will also watch the movie starring Gregory Peck----he does a great job as Atticus Finch!
Writing: We are working through another collaborative writing assignment. This time is argumentative and students are writing their essays in groups of 5. I am loving this because the kids are really getting into discussing the resources they have to use and having conversations about what evidence to use, transitions, etc. Next week they will write an unassisted argumentative piece.
Homework:
7th Grade: Read for 20 minutes, fill out logs (working on Paideia is fine)
8th Grade: Read for 20 minutes; to chapter 24 by Tuesday and to chapter 26 by Wednesday. Stay tuned for Wednesday night reading (depends on how far we get Wednesday during our block)
Monday, February 27, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Projects: This week we will learn about FDR and the New Deal, and work on those websites. They are coming along!
7th Grade Reading: Students are preparing for our Paideia Seminar on The Outsiders. They will collect evidence during class to respond to 4 questions that I will pose to them next week. I love this assignment. The students always do well, and their academic discussions are so impressive!
8th Grade Reading: Students will continue to read and discuss To Kill a Mockingbird. They are doing a great job thinking critically about race relations, literacy, and justice with this novel. Today we discussed current events with "Week in Rap." As usual, we had some very interesting conversations. I always love conversations with this bunch.
Writing: This week we are taking a break from our state writing prompts and focusing on stamina through journal writing, IXL skills, and sentence diagramming to learn sentence parts. We will do our last unassisted prompt in 2 weeks, beginning with a collaborative prompt next week. It will be argumentative! Students, please check IXL grades on Infinite Campus. You can improve scores and fix zeroes!
Homework:
7th--Read and watch "Week in Rap" on Flocabulary and be ready for a quiz on Wednesday.
8th--20 minutes of reading. Flocabulary quiz Wednesday
7th Grade Reading: Students are preparing for our Paideia Seminar on The Outsiders. They will collect evidence during class to respond to 4 questions that I will pose to them next week. I love this assignment. The students always do well, and their academic discussions are so impressive!
8th Grade Reading: Students will continue to read and discuss To Kill a Mockingbird. They are doing a great job thinking critically about race relations, literacy, and justice with this novel. Today we discussed current events with "Week in Rap." As usual, we had some very interesting conversations. I always love conversations with this bunch.
Writing: This week we are taking a break from our state writing prompts and focusing on stamina through journal writing, IXL skills, and sentence diagramming to learn sentence parts. We will do our last unassisted prompt in 2 weeks, beginning with a collaborative prompt next week. It will be argumentative! Students, please check IXL grades on Infinite Campus. You can improve scores and fix zeroes!
Homework:
7th--Read and watch "Week in Rap" on Flocabulary and be ready for a quiz on Wednesday.
8th--20 minutes of reading. Flocabulary quiz Wednesday
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Tomorrow we will watch the movie The Outsiders in order to compare it to the novel. The movie is rated PG. Please let me know if you do NOT want your child to watch it. I will find an alternate activity for him/her.
Projects: Students will work on Great Depression websites and continue learning about through class discussion, reading passages, videos and webquests. This Thursday we will watch a video on the Dust Bowl (thank you, Mrs. Mori, for loaning it). Make sure you ask your student about daily life, government, and causes of the Great Depression!
7th Grade Reading: Students will begin preparing for their reading final after watching the movie. Our final will be in the form of a Paideia Seminar. Students will be required to research several
open-ended questions, find evidence to support answers, and articulate their opinions through discussion. Students will use formal discussion methods, including techniques we've used in class like Format Matters and Habits of Discussion. They will be graded only on what they say (quality of verbal responses). I love this assignment because it give the students a lot of control over their grade and how they want to respond to literature.
8th Grade Reading: We will continue To Kill a Mockingbird. We are starting to read the trial scene, and students seem so engaged. Students will continue to take quizzes, write responses that require text evidence, and practice reading out loud fluently and with expression. I am LOVING our discussions on this novel.
Writing: This week we will finish our collaborative informative newspaper article, and students will write an unassisted writing sample in the form of an informative essay.
Homework this week:
7th: Read and watch "Week in Rap" for this week and be prepared for a quiz on Thursday. Fill out logs.
8th: Watch/read "Week in Rap" for this week and be prepared for a quiz on Thursday. Fill out logs.
Projects: Students will work on Great Depression websites and continue learning about through class discussion, reading passages, videos and webquests. This Thursday we will watch a video on the Dust Bowl (thank you, Mrs. Mori, for loaning it). Make sure you ask your student about daily life, government, and causes of the Great Depression!
7th Grade Reading: Students will begin preparing for their reading final after watching the movie. Our final will be in the form of a Paideia Seminar. Students will be required to research several
open-ended questions, find evidence to support answers, and articulate their opinions through discussion. Students will use formal discussion methods, including techniques we've used in class like Format Matters and Habits of Discussion. They will be graded only on what they say (quality of verbal responses). I love this assignment because it give the students a lot of control over their grade and how they want to respond to literature.
8th Grade Reading: We will continue To Kill a Mockingbird. We are starting to read the trial scene, and students seem so engaged. Students will continue to take quizzes, write responses that require text evidence, and practice reading out loud fluently and with expression. I am LOVING our discussions on this novel.
Writing: This week we will finish our collaborative informative newspaper article, and students will write an unassisted writing sample in the form of an informative essay.
Homework this week:
7th: Read and watch "Week in Rap" for this week and be prepared for a quiz on Thursday. Fill out logs.
8th: Watch/read "Week in Rap" for this week and be prepared for a quiz on Thursday. Fill out logs.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Monday, February 13, 2017
Tomorrow students may bring Valentines to pass out to the class. We will do this around 2:30-2:45 as the kids have art at 3:15.
Projects: Students are working on their Great Depression websites. Also, we are learning about causes, daily life, government role, Dust Bowl, and economics during the Great Depression.
7th Grade Reading: We are having great discussions during our Monday Flocabulary lessons! Students are really making intelligent connections to current events and have strong opinions on topics! We will continue reading The Outsiders week and will likely finish it. When we do finish, students will begin preparing for our Paideia Seminar on the novel, which will be our final exam.
8th Grade Reading: We will continue to read To Kill a Mockingbird and use Close Reading strategies to look deeply at certain parts. We are enjoying learning more about the characters and making predictions about Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.
Writing: This week we will work together on an informative/explanatory writing piece. We did this a couple of weeks ago with narratives, and we will work on an unassisted piece after we write one together. These prompts are coming off of the state website and are good examples of what the students may be facing during testing this spring.
Homework:
7th Grade--IXL AA.1, read for 20 minutes
8th Grade--Finish Flocabulary "Week in Rap" links from today; read for 20 minutes and be on chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird on Tuesday.
Projects: Students are working on their Great Depression websites. Also, we are learning about causes, daily life, government role, Dust Bowl, and economics during the Great Depression.
7th Grade Reading: We are having great discussions during our Monday Flocabulary lessons! Students are really making intelligent connections to current events and have strong opinions on topics! We will continue reading The Outsiders week and will likely finish it. When we do finish, students will begin preparing for our Paideia Seminar on the novel, which will be our final exam.
8th Grade Reading: We will continue to read To Kill a Mockingbird and use Close Reading strategies to look deeply at certain parts. We are enjoying learning more about the characters and making predictions about Boo Radley and Tom Robinson.
Writing: This week we will work together on an informative/explanatory writing piece. We did this a couple of weeks ago with narratives, and we will work on an unassisted piece after we write one together. These prompts are coming off of the state website and are good examples of what the students may be facing during testing this spring.
Homework:
7th Grade--IXL AA.1, read for 20 minutes
8th Grade--Finish Flocabulary "Week in Rap" links from today; read for 20 minutes and be on chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird on Tuesday.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Monday, February 6, 2017
Projects: Students will learn about the Great Depression and build a website that demonstrates what they know.
7th Grade Reading: This week students will continue reading The Outsiders, taking short quizzes on it, and building their reading stamina.
Writing: Students will complete an unassisted writing assignment Tuesday and Thursday of this week. We have worked long and hard together on narrative techniques, and now they are ready to show what they can do on their own!
8th Grade Reading: We will continue reding To Kill a Mockingbird and having discussions around it. Students should always come to class prepared for a short quiz that covers their most recent reading. We will also continue poetry and Flocabulary as usual.
Homework:
7th grade--read for 20 minutes and do any IXL assigned
8th grade--read for 20 minutes (reading logs checked every Monday)
Candy Grams are on sale all week for .75 each. Proceeds benefit the k-8 student council. We are raising money to try to purchase something for the school (item TBD).
Auction this Thursday at 3:00
7th Grade Reading: This week students will continue reading The Outsiders, taking short quizzes on it, and building their reading stamina.
Writing: Students will complete an unassisted writing assignment Tuesday and Thursday of this week. We have worked long and hard together on narrative techniques, and now they are ready to show what they can do on their own!
8th Grade Reading: We will continue reding To Kill a Mockingbird and having discussions around it. Students should always come to class prepared for a short quiz that covers their most recent reading. We will also continue poetry and Flocabulary as usual.
Homework:
7th grade--read for 20 minutes and do any IXL assigned
8th grade--read for 20 minutes (reading logs checked every Monday)
Candy Grams are on sale all week for .75 each. Proceeds benefit the k-8 student council. We are raising money to try to purchase something for the school (item TBD).
Auction this Thursday at 3:00
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