Thursday, December 13, 2012

Trailer Day 2

Most classes finished up presentations today and were able to watch Ray Bradbury's vision of what "The Veldt" was like. It was a mid 80's show that was on HBO; kind of like "The Twilight Zone."  There are a couple of groups in each core still not done. Tomorrow students will be given the opportunity to grade their partners. That grade will not be uploaded into edline in order to keep everything as confidential as possible.

Homework:
Read AR (points due Tuesday)

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Movie Trailers

Today we started our movie trailer presentations and so far so good. There were a few groups who weren't ready, but we will give them a chance tomorrow. Remember to continue to read AR as points are due next week Tuesday.

Read AR

Monday, December 10, 2012

AR and Presentations

Today students had time to do AR. Points are due next week Tuesday. While students were reading, I checked the video portion of the student presentation to make sure it works on the school computer. More than half of the groups didn't show me anything, so I am a little worried many won't be ready.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish project

Friday, December 7, 2012

Writing and Speeches

Today we did our final writing test of the quarter that focused on indenting, capitalization, and using periods. It will count as a summative grade. Afterward, the students did a draft of the presentations next week Wednesday. They had to answer questions about advertising techniques and how they are used in the poster.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish project (due Wednesday)

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Group Work Day 2

Students were again able to get into their groups and get the movie trailer project near completion. I checked all groups' storyboards, scripts, and poster drafts and for the most part, the groups are completed. Now comes the home stretch where they get their video together and bring it in to test. If it doesn't work on the day of the presentation, they will be marked down.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish presentation (due Wednesday)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Group Work

Today the students were given an opportunity to get together with group members to work on their movie trailer project. Tomorrow, students need to turn in a storyboard, script for the trailer, and a draft of the poster. After checking with all groups, it seems like two-thirds have finished filming and are now putting it together. It needs to be ready by next week Wednesday.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish poster draft, script, and storyboard

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Theme Summative

Today the students took the final test on comparing two stories to a particular theme. This was the last written summative of the quarter so hopefully everybody does well. Now we move full steam ahead with the movie trailer project.Students will be given time over the next couple of days to work on the project. If there is noting too do, students will have AR time.

Homework;
Read AR
Storyboard, script, and poster draft due Thursday

Monday, December 3, 2012

Summative Review

Today we had a review for the final theme summative. Students who performed well on the practice quiz read AR while those who didn't rewrote and made corrections to their papers so they will score well on the test tomorrow. We also took the final vocabulary quiz and early scoring show the majority of the students did really well.

Homework:
Read AR (points due Dec. 18)
Work on project (storyboard, draft of poster, and script due Thursday)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Vocabulary and Project

Today the students were given the definitions for the second set of vocabulary words. The test will be on Monday. Also the students had some time to get their project in order. Click here for the sheet. Students should get together this weekend to start the filming of the project so they have some time to make adjustments.

Homework:
Study for vocab II test on Monday
Start project

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Other Foot

Today we read the story "The Other Foot" which dealt with hate and racial issues. In the end, it was a happy ending. Afterward, the students were able to work on their packets. We are almost done as we have read the last story. If students want to read the rest of the book, copies will be available for them tomorrow.

Homework:
Read AR
Study for Vocab II
Packet section: The Other Foot

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The City

Today we read the story "The City" which seems to be the most descriptive story so far. Ray Bradbury did a great job with vivid descriptions of the death of a character. Afterward, the students wrote a paragraph on how they think the story will end.

Homework:
Read AR
Vocab II due tomorrow
Packet section: The City (make up your own theme)

Monday, November 26, 2012

Project and Theme Review

Since I got an early jump on Thanksgiving and didn't post Wednesday, here it is: Wednesday I went over what the expectations are for the advertising project. I wasn't able to upload the new sheet yet, but click here to see what is required. NOTE the dates are not correct. I will upload the new one tomorrow.
Today we did a practice on comparing theme between "The Veldt" and "The Rocket." For the most part, the students seem to understand what to do, but just need to be more detailed in their explanations.

Homework:
Read AR
Do Vocabulary II


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Rocket

Finally, a story with a genuine happy ending. Nobody died and everybody was happy at the end of "The Rocket." Tomorrow, students will be taking the first of the vocabulary quizzes. Remember to study the definitions we gave to prepare.

Homework:
Study for vocab 1 quiz
Read AR
Packet section for "The Rocket"

Monday, November 19, 2012

AR

Today students were given time to do AR and go to the library. There are about four weeks left, so I will start including AR into the edline grades so everybody can see the effect of not earning AR points. Today was also the second packet check. If students complete it, they must show it to me tomorrow.

Homework:
Read AR

Friday, November 16, 2012

Marionettes Inc.

Another story, another ending with death. We read Marionettes Inc. today which was about robots replacing guys so they don't need to spend time with their wives. In the end, the guys wind up losing which could mean the theme is husbands can never win!

Homework:
Read AR
Packet section: Marionettes Inc.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Visitor

Today we read the story "The Visitor." In the story, sick people from Earth were exiled on Mars to live out their lives, but they longed to go home. A new visitor brought power and enjoyment to the sick people, but as usual in this book, it wasn't a happy ending.

Homework:
Read AR
Packet section: The Visitor

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Theme Formative

Today the students took a formative on comparing how two stories use a common theme. Picking out evidence and explaining how the evidence proves the theme is the main focus this term so we'll see how it goes. Tonight was McTeacher's night to raise funds for Green 8 activities. Thanks to all who came out, both working and to buy food, to support us.

Homework:
Read AR

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Zero Hour

Today we read a story called "Zero Hour" in which aliens invade earth through the use of children. Creepy ending! We skipped ahead in the book because "Zero Hour" is part of a formative the students will be taking tomorrow on comparing theme.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish packet: Zero Hour

Friday, November 9, 2012

Vocabulary and Theme Practice

Today the students were given the official definitions for the first set of vocabulary words in their packets. Click here for the definitions. We also went over how we will compare two stories to a theme of the students' choice. We set it up as a T-chart with the theme being compared the topic, whether the stories handle the theme similarly or differently being the star ideas, the dashes being evidence from each story to back up the theme, and finally the dot to explain how the evidence proves the theme.

Homework:
Read AR
If not completed, do packet for "The Last Night of the World"

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Registration and The Last Night of the World

Today the counselors from the high school visited to go over registration and answer any questions about high school. Since the presentations were during core classes, the schedule was adjusted and we read "The Last Night of the World." Is was a really short story about how a couple faces their last night on Earth. Afterward, the students did a short writing assignment with the focus on indenting and capitalization. Their assignment was explain how they would spend their final 6 hours if the world would end at midnight.

Homework:
Finish packet for "The Last Night of the World"
Read AR

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Rocket Man

Today we read "The Rocket Man" and students had time to work on their packets. The story ended with another death and a twist the students felt was "messed up." When checking the students' packets today, I noticed many of the students were summarizing the stories in the theme section. I reminded them they were not suppose to summarize, but they need to find evidence from the stories that support their choice of theme. It is important students do this because they will be able to use these notes on their formative that has been rescheduled for next week.

Homework:
Read AR
Work on packet: The Rocket Man

Friday, November 2, 2012

The Long Rain

Today we read the story "The Long Rain" and it was was a long story. For cores 3-5, the classes were split between Ms. Brown and myself so we could get everybody involved in answering questions and reading. The packet was checked today not for a grade, but more to see if the students are keeping up. If the planner was stamped "Not Completed" in red, it means they have some work to do before the check for grade on Wednesday.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish vocabulary page 1
Finish packet for The Veldt, Kaleidoscope, The Highway, and The Long Rain

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Halloween and The Highway

Sorry about not posting last night, I was passing out candy. I'll include yesterday's summary here. We read the story "Kaleidoscope" and again, the students were shocked at the ending. The stories in this book are different in the way there are very few stories with happy endings.
Today we read the story "The Highway" and although the character in the story didn't die, the effect of the atomic bomb being dropped on the U.S. must have been catastrophic. Afterward, the students wrote a paragraph on a prompt about the story. In these writings, we are trying to focus on proper formatting and capitalization. If there is a mistake, the student will be marked down and can correct the paragraph to improve the grade.

Homework:
Read AR
Work on packet (vocabulary and The Highway) -if you need the packet, it is in edline

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Veldt

Today we read the short story "The Veldt" and the students were shocked at the ending. Many of the stories end in the same way. There is no ending, Bradbury make you think about the final outcome and decide. Afterward, some cores had time to work on the packet. Whatever wasn't finished in class, needs to be finished at home.

Homework:
Read AR
Work on packet (plot summary, character tracker, theme, and vocabulary)

Monday, October 29, 2012

Paper Editing and AR

As with every Monday, we worked on looking at a few papers and making corrections to it. Our focus was on introductions and we also reviewed formatting. For the introductions, we reminded students the intro needed a hook, thesis statement, and a plan. Afterward, students were given time to do AR.

Homework:
Work on vocabulary in packet
Read AR

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Aesop's Fabels

We started talking about our major topic of theme today. We defined theme as the message the author wants you to take away from the writing and apply to your life. For the lesson, the students read six different fables from Aesop and the students had to determine which theme matched the story.

Homework:
Read AR

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Twilight Zone

We finished up our history lesson on the '50's today as we focused on the fear that people had of nuclear war. I showed them a clip from Indiana Jones where a town is destroyed during a nuclear test to show them the destruction people feared. Then we watched an episode of "The Twilight Zone" where one person had a bomb shelter and his friends wanted to come in because they hadn't prepared for nuclear war. The episode showed the irrationality people have when fear takes over.

Homework:
Read AR

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Different Ones

To get the students ready for the genre of science fiction, we had a little discussion on what it is and how it differs from fantasy. Science fiction is futuristic in nature, but the ideas put forth by the author are plausible. In other words, with what we know about science and technology, there is a chance that stuff in the book could become a reality. Fantasy on the other hand has very little basis in reality. We also read the story "The Different Ones" by Rod Serling to show science fiction and to show how most of the stories in The Illustrated Man are set up and how they end with a twist.

Homework:
Read AR

Monday, October 22, 2012

AR and Paper Problems

Today the students were given time to do AR as HSA testing will begin soon for the other tracks and the library may not be open as often. With that, it is better for the students to start now instead of waiting until the end like many did last term. Also, I went over formatting problems in the essay turned in last quarter. The focus was on looking at a paper before it is turned in to make sure there are no problems with spacing, indenting, ans paragraphs.

Homework:
Read AR

Friday, October 19, 2012

More History

More history of the '50's today as we prepared to read The Illustrated Man and get to know what was going through people's minds. The focus was on the social aspects of our country. From communism to segregation to how the family was changing, a lot of what was started in the '50's in our society continues today.

Homework:
Read AR

Thursday, October 18, 2012

History in English

Today I passed out the calendar for the term and went over the focus of the term. Click here to see it. We will be reading the book The Illustrated Man and focusing on theme. Afterward, I gave a little lesson on the history of the United States to set the tone for the book. Most of the stories were written during the late 40's to early 50's. Also, I showed a little History in Focus clip on the science and technology of the 50's. I'll show a couple more tomorrow on how people lived and what the social environment was like.

Homework:
Get calendar signed

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

First Day

It was an eventful day as students from the high school came down to inform student about language elective and the different career pathways students can take. Students will be registering within the next few weeks so hopefully they got something out of the presentations.

Homework:
None

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Last Day

Today we reviewed the quarter by playing Jeopardy. We focused on what we learned over the term: verbs, punctuation, The Outsiders, and using the computer to write an essay. The winning team will receive a one point boost to their AR score. I hope everybody has a good break and those that were unfocused and immature over the first quarter, I hope you find some guidance to help you in quarter two.

Homework:
Read AR (30 minutes per day)

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Almost Done

With one day left, we were able to get through the rest of the mock trails. All that is left for students is AR and for some, the essay they have not turned in yet.Essays and AR points all are due by tomorrow. Final grades will not be completed until the essays are graded, which will take some of the intersession to do. Check edline periodically during the break as I will update as papers are graded.

Homework:
Read AR (points due tomorrow)
Turn in paper (for those that have not done it)

Monday, September 24, 2012

Mock Trials

Today we started our mock trials of the crimes in The Outsiders and so far, they were a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong, there were a couple of really good ones, but overall the preparation and logic is lacking. Hopefully the students will improve on these areas as the year progresses.

Homework:
Read AR (points due Wednesday)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Mock Trials

Today was a preview of our mock trials that will take place next week. The preview hopefully gave students an idea of what is expected of them.The rest of the time and tomorrow will be group time for them to talk about their cases and find evidence from The Outsiders to prosecute or defend the person on trial. Every students was given a sheet with an outline to fill in with questions and answers. To see the sheets, go into the "Contents" folder in edline.

Homework:
Read AR (points due 9/26)
Finish paper (due in class for those typing; 11:59 PM for those emailing)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Connection Summative

Today the students took a summative on making connections to reading through their values. Just one summative left and that is the essay we have been working on for the past month. It is due on Friday at 11:59 PM for those that are emailing it. Those typing it out or handwriting it must turn it in on Friday during class along with all drafts. Also, AR points will be added in edline tomorrow. Students have until the last day of school to get their points.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish essay

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Inference Summative and Mock Trial

Today I passed back the inference summative and went over why so many students did poorly. The major problem was they didn't answer the question. The focus should have been on the culture instead of on the characters. Afterward, we went over the final week of class as we will be doing mock trials on the crimes committed by the characters in The Outsiders. Each group has a crime to present and all members have characters to play.

Homework:
Finish essay (due Friday at 11:59 PM) label as final paper
Read AR (points due next Wednesday)

Monday, September 17, 2012

Paper Formatting and Connection Practice

Today I went over the rubric for the essay that is due on Friday at 11:59 PM. Those that are not emailing the essay need to turn it in on Friday during class. Also, make sure all corrections are made to get the best grade possible. Afterward, students prepared for the connection summative on Wednesday by writing a paragraph. Click here to see the worksheet.

Homework:
Read AR (points due next week Wednesday)
Finish paper (due Friday)

Friday, September 14, 2012

Family Values

Today we started our next unit on how students connect to what they are reading. In this case, how do students view actions and characters in The Outsiders. They worked on a sheet that made them think about their values and we discussed how values are different for different people. Click here to see the sheet.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish connector sheets and 836 formative on connecting to reading

Thursday, September 13, 2012

The Outsiders is Done

Today we finished reading The Outsiders in class, so the students need to finish up their connections. They will need the connections sheet to help them with formative and summative. I also went over what is left for students to do in the class to get their grade up. The main summative left is the five paragraph essay that is due next week. make sure the paper is done and proof read so you can get the best possible grade.

Homework:
Finish connections

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Inference Summative

Today the students took their summative on inferences. Overall, the students didn't to too well so because it was a summative, grades may drop by two grades. Tomorrow we start the next unit on making personal connections to reading. Students need to finish their connections because we will be reading chapter 12.

Homework:
Finish chapter 11 connections

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Inference Review and Ch. 11

With the summative scheduled for tomorrow, we reviewed making inferences, backing them up with details, and explaining how the detail proves the inference using text-to-world scenarios. Afterward, we read chapter  11.

Homework:
Do connections for chapter 11

Monday, September 10, 2012

Chapter 10

We are almost done with The Outsiders as we read chapter 10 and finished it in class. Students also had about 10 minutes to work on their connections. There are only two chapters left so students that are behind on their connections better get on the ball.

Homework:
Do connections for chapter 10

Friday, September 7, 2012

Formative Review

Today we went over the formative students took on Wednesday. The focus was on making their inferences correct and details supportive. Click here to see the presentation. Afterward, we worked on a tree map for making inferences about characters and supporting them with details. Click here to see the sheet.

Homework:
Conclusion due tonight by 11:59 PM

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Chapter 9

Today we read chapter nine in class and reviewed chapters six-eight as the students have been reading a lot on their own. Students need to remember to keep doing their connections. The rubric for the paper was also passed out today. Click here to see it. Papers need to be emailed by tomorrow at 11:59 PM or, if handwritten or printed out, need to be turned in tomorrow.

Homework:
Read Ch. 9
Type and email conclusion

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Inference Formative

Today students worked on a formative on making inferences. We have been working on inferences for the past few weeks and just looking at the formatives, most students seem to be understanding what is needed. Afterward, the students continued reading The Outsiders and need to read through chapter eight by tomorrow.

Homework:
Read chapter eight
Write conclusion (due Friday)

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Conclusions

Today we went over conclusions for the students' 5-paragraph essay that is due next week Friday. Click here to see the presentation. Students can start writing their conclusions after making the corrections to the introduction and body. Afterward, we also went over inferences and details in preparation for our summative tomorrow.

Homework:
Read Ch. 7
Work on conclusion

Friday, August 31, 2012

Grammar Summative

Today students took the grammar final. Overall, the scores were pretty good. Grades will be posted when everybody has taken the test. Afterward, students read chapter seven on their own. Students need to keep up with the connections as we checks will be random.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish connections

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Chapter 6 and Mokauea

Today students read chapter six in The Outsiders while others went to Mokauea Island. On the island, students had the jobs of picking mangrove pods, checking water quality of the ocean, collecting marine debris, and ridding the reef of invasive ogo. Those that went need to read chapter six on their own. Also, we have our grammar summative so make sure to study.

Homework:
Read Ch. 6
Study for grammar summative

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Short Cores

With a school mandated test this morning and a preview of our Mokauea field trip tomorrow, cores were shortened to about 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, we worked on another inferencing practice. Click here to see it. Students needed to distinguish between an inference and a detail in a passage from The Outsiders.

Homework:
Read chapter 5 (those students in Tittle and Caalim's core one need to read ch. 6)
Do connections
Study for grammar summative on Friday (try a practice here)

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Inference Practice and Chapter 5

Today we did a worksheet to help students with inferences and details. Inferences are guesses about something read, with details to support them. Click here to see the worksheet. Afterward, we continued reading The Outsiders by starting chapter five. We didn't make it through, so students have about 10 pages to finish.

Homework:
Finish Ch. 5 (do connections)
Study for Friday's grammar summative
Quiz retakes tomorrow before school and during recess

Monday, August 27, 2012

Library Orientation

Today we did the second phase of library orientation as students learned about research on the Internet and the resources available to them in the library. Also, grammar quizzes were passed back and if students would like to redo them, see me before school or during recess.

Homework:
Read AR

Friday, August 24, 2012

Peer Edit

Today the students worked together to edit papers on the computers. Their focus was on transitions and paragraphs. Some students still haven't finished their papers so they worked on it during the time. Edline has been updated to reflect the paper being turned in so you can see who hasn't turned it in.

Homework:
Read AR

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Paper Due Tonight

The second draft of the students' paper is due tonight by 11:59 PM. Some students my have problems with their email, so I instructed them to print it out if they need to. If they are having trouble attaching it, they can always go to skydrive.com amd use their hotmail id and password to get in.
Today in class we read chapter four in The Outsiders and students need to remember to do the connections. The connector sheet was checked today and many students had not finished it.

Homework:
Read AR
Email paper by 11:59 PM

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Chapter 3

Today the students read chapter three on their own and finished their connections. If the students do not do the connector sheet after they read he chapters, they will fall behind and be struggling to look for connections later on. Click here to see the connector sheet. Also, students should be finishing up the body of their paper and sending it in through email by 11:59 PM tomorrow. To see an example of my draft, click here. I have also updated the calendar to reflect what is going on in class. Click here to see it.

Homework:
Read Ch. 3
Do connections
Type body of paper and email by 11:59 PM tomorrow

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Outsiders Ch. 2

Today we continued reading The Outsiders. Students once again need to make two connections with events in chapter two. We also checked tree maps and reminded students to write the body of their paper using the information in their maps. When they finish typing the body of the paper, they should have four total paragraphs and they can email it whenever they are done.

Homework:
Finish ch. 2 (about a page and a half left)
Type body of paper (continue after your introduction; don't erase red teacher comments)
      Paper to be emailed by 11:59 PM Thursday night.

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Outsiders and Connections

Today we started reading the book The Outsiders and I also passed out a connection to text sheet students must do as they read the book. Click here to see it. Students need to make two connections per chapter. The connections can be text-to-self, text-to-text (another book they have read), or text-to-world.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish connections for Ch. 1
Tree map due tomorrow
Type body of paper (Due Thursday)

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Quiz and Tree Map

Students took their quiz on grammar today as we wind up the unit. We'll see how everybody did and see how much more practice the students need before the summative. After they were done with the quiz, they worked on a tree map for the body of their paper. Click here to see my example. I also passed out an example of my paper the tree map refers to. The top example has sentence transitions and the bottom example has basic transitions. Click here to see it. Introductions were returned via email, so make sure to go on and see the comments. Do not erase the comments!

Homework:
Read AR
Work on tree map (due Tuesday)
Type body of paper (due Thursday)

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Two for One

Sorry didn't post yesterday, but I'll include the information in this post. Yesterday, we went over subject/verb agreement. Click here to see the presentation. The first worksheet focused on review as students needed to underline the subject and verb and decide if the subject was singular or plural. Click here to see it. Students only needed to do the first side. Next we went on to nouns that sound like many but are only one and on the backside there were sentences with different word order than students are accustom to. Click here to see that sheet. Finally we went over what we find as the rule many students get wrong when writing papers: compound subjects agreeing with the verb. Click here to see that sheet. Most students finished in class so the only homework they had was to read AR.

Today we added on the final grammar lesson with punctuation: proper use of commas and how to use semicolons. Click here to see the presentation and click here for the notes. You may notice at the end of both there is a section on dashes. We will not be covering it because of time, but if you would like to learn about dashes, just continue on in the presentation. If you would like to practice, click here for a worksheet.

Homework:
Read AR
Review verb tenses and subject/verb agreement (click here for review)

Monday, August 13, 2012

Verbs

We started our grammar unit today with a focus on verbs. The students broke into small groups to look through the Write Source books to review past, present, and future verbs along with learning the perfect verb tenses. They filled in a notes sheet, click here to see it, and did a couple of worksheets to practice. Click here for the simple verbs worksheet and click here for the perfect verbs worksheet. Also, for those who are absent or want to review, click here for a presentation on verbs. This will help fill out the verbs note sheet.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish perfect verb tense sheet

Friday, August 10, 2012

Introductions

Today, students worked on their introductions in the computer lab and if they finished, they emailed it to turn the paper in. Though I wasn't there, Ms. Brown said most students finished. Those that didn't finish need to turn it in by midnight on Saturday.

Homework:
Read AR
Finish introduction

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Introductions

Today I went over introductions so students can write the first paragraph of their 5-paragraph essay. Click here to see the presentation. I also passed out notes for introductions. Click here to see it. We then went into the computer lab where students typed their thesis statement and plan. They then sent it to themselves to make sure they can open their work at home.

Homework:
Read AR
Open up paper at home

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Hotmail Accounts

Today the students opened their hotmail accounts with instructions to only use them for school. If parents would like to keep tabs on what is being sent, the student user name is firstname_lastmame@hotmail.com and the password is the student AR password with 2012 at the end. Example Jason_Tittle@hotmail.com/password: 3GTJ2002012 or something like it. If there is a problem that arises, please don't hesitate to call. If they are using it for something other than school, we can go in and delete it if you wish. To bypass the parental permission, we set all student birthdays to 1992. Over the next few weeks, students will be writing an essay and turning it in through the account.

Homework:
Read AR

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

More Computer Practice

We continued in the computer lab today with formatting papers. The students practiced typing a couple of paragraphs from a draft of my paper that doesn't have a complete introduction, only the thesis statement and plan. Click here to see it. We will go over introductions on Wednesday or Thursday. Students needed to format the paper properly by double spacing, having no spacing between paragraphs, and making sure it is in Times New Roman font. They did have a reference sheet they could use posted in edline.

Homework:
Read AR
Get email permission signed

Monday, August 6, 2012

Computer Practice

Today we went into the computer lab to work on formatting our papers.  We are asking that all students turn in their papers and essays electronically to prepare them for high school language arts classes. Click here to see the letter home. We also went over possible programs for those who do not have Microsoft Word. I suggested using Open Office. It is a free program that can save files as Word documents. Click here to go to the download site.
Finally, we practiced using the Word formatting tools like fonts, spacing, and spell check. Click here to see the formatting we went over. 

Homework:
Read AR
Open Word document (to see if you have Word)
Get e-mail permission signed

Friday, August 3, 2012

Thesis Statements

Picture taking took up about 20 minutes of class today, but we went over making a thesis statement for the five paragraph essay on someone/something that has made you who you are today. Much like a topic sentence in a paragraph, the thesis statement, along with the plan, previews the entire essay. The students used their circle maps from last yesterday to complete today's worksheet. Click here to see it.

Homework:
Get AR packet signed
Finish thesis statement and plan

Thursday, August 2, 2012

The Ultimate Gift and Brainstorming

Our first assignment of the term is to write a five paragraph essay on someone or something that has shaped us into the person we are today. We read a chapter from the book The Ultimate Gift to show the students that people aren't the only choice for this essay. It can be events or experiences as well. Then the student made a circle map to braistorm ideas for the essay. Click here to see my example.

Homework:
Get AR packet signed
Finish brainstorm circle map(s)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

STAR Testing

Today we went to the library for our STAR reading test. Packets will be sent home tomorrow with students and students will get their point goals tomorrow as well. Tonight is our meet and greet night for Green Track- hope to see everybody there.

Homework:
Get paperwork signed

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Calendar and AR

Today I was able to see all core classes and went over expectations and the calendar for the quarter. Click here to see the calendar. Tomorrow we go to the library for orientation so we will meet there.

Homework:
Get calendar signed
Find an AR book- use last ZPD
Meet in library tomorrow

Monday, July 30, 2012

First Day

Today was the first day and we only met in core one today as we collected forms and made announcements. We also passed out the team packet that contained all class information. I will go over my syllabus in detail tomorrow, so it there are any question on how the class is run, just ask.

Homework:
Get forms signed