11/30
Last updated November 20th, 2009 at 1:36 p.m.Reading scedule for the next couple of weeks. (Reg. class-blue; Honors - purple) This schedule is subject to change. Please be sure that if your child is absent, they still keep up with the readings.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Monday 11-30 chapters2-3
Tuesday Quiz ch.1-3; ch. 4
Wednesday ch. 5-6
Thursday Quiz ch. 4-6; ch.7
Friday ch. 8
Monday Dec. 7 ch. 9
Tuesday Quiz ch. 7-9; ch. 10
Wednesday ch. 11
Thursday ch. 12
Friday Quiz ch. 10-12…catch up day, review for finals
Tom Sawyer
Monday 11-30 ch. 9…skit….ch. 10
Tuesday ch. 11….skit…..ch. 12
Wednesday Quiz ch. 9-12; ch.13-15
Thursday ch. 16….skit…Quiz ch. 13-16
Friday ch. 17-19….skit
Monday Dec. 7 ch. 20-22
Tuesday Quiz ch. 17-22, ch. 23-25….skit
Wednesday ch. 26-28; Quiz ch. 23-28
Thursday ch. 29-31, Quiz ch. 29-31
Friday ch. 32-35…skit, quiz
Monday Dec. 14 catch up day, review for exams
11-16
SS21-24 due Friday (SS13-21 will be tested the week after Thanksgiving)
Spelling unit 7 packet due Friday
Spelling test Friday
Daily Dose words 1-50 will be tested Thursday. Study guides were given either last Friday or Monday.
Novels start this week. See last weeks notes (in red) below for information:
11/9
SS 17-20 due Friday.
No spelling this week.
Progress reports go home later this week. Please be sure to look for them, but I have added several grades since they were printed on Friday. Check STI for up to date information. Grades seem to be much lower this nine weeks compared to first nine weeks. Constructed responses test questions are being graded much tougher now since students have been taught the expectations. Also, standard starts not being turned in are pulling many students' grades down.
We will continue the "Pass it Down" unit until Wednesday. The first test, given Monday, will be made up on Tuesday for all those who were absent due to the hurricane scare. Tuesday we will read a myth and a tall tale in class. These will be tested on Wednesday.
Thursday will be the start of the new novels, so there will be some differences between classes from here on out. Honors will start reading Tom Sawyer, and the regular class will start pre-reading for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. See below for more specific info.
Regular classes: Thursday-Monday: Students will work in groups to research topics related to the novel, for example, share cropping. They will create a powerpoint and a 5 question test. They will be "teaching" the information to their classmates next week and all tests will be combined into one main test that the students will take after being taught the information by their classmates. Students will receive a rubric and instructions on Thursday. We will begin reading in class next week. This novel will take us through the end of the nine weeks. The reading exam will cover the entire novel; however, there will be smaller tests and daily grades given throughout.
Honors: Since Tom Sawyer is much longer than the novel being read by the other class, we will need to start this week. I will go over some background information on Thursday and Friday. Because many students will be out Friday for the street law field trip, we will start reading on Monday. Students will get a schedule for a group assignment next week. Please be aware of it. Throughtout the course of the reading, students will act out major scenes in the novel. This should be planned outside of school. I will allow students to choose their group mate(s) so that hopefully they can have someone close to their house since they will need to get together to prepare. This novel will take us through the end of the nine weeks. The reading exam will cover the entire novel; however, there will be several daily grades, quizzes, and tests given throughout the novel.
Mark Twain Webquest: http://teacherweb.com/NY/Victor/MarkTwain/index.html
11/2
Standard Starts 13-16 due Friday. By the way, many students are failing to turn these in which is causing a huge drop in their grade. Please make sure your child is doing this each week. It is given on Monday and due on Friday. There are 12 questions total, so it should not be such a huge ordeal.
Spelling packet (which was given Monday) is due Friday. Spelling test Friday.
Students will do a genre study of stories handed down...fables, folk tales, myths, and tall tales. Several stories will be read and tested this week and next.
Students were given a paper to keep in binder or at home with information and instructions on how to access the literature book online. Please keep this handy in case your child needs to review a story or catch up due to an absence. I can not give this information via email due to copy right laws, so please put this in a place that it will not get lost.
10/26
The Daily Dose test Tuesday. Students were given the study guide last week. This week the students will read Poe's "The Raven" and test on it Friday. The students will read a parady of it and work with a partner to create their own parady of this famous poem. Standard Start 9-12 is due Friday. Next Tuesday we will test on Standards 1-12.
10/19
Don't forget the field trip is Thursday for those who signed up. Make sure you bring a bag lunch!
Standard Starts 5-8 given Monday and due Friday. Spelling unit, given Monday, due and tested on Friday.
Students will also learn about the master of suspense, Edgar Allen Poe, this week and read "Tell Tale Heart" and "The Raven."
We will continue to work on constructed response questions. This will be done every Friday from now until LEAP as I explained last week. Fridays will be the official LEAP standards review day:).
10/12
In anticipation of our field trip next week, we will be reading some suspenseful stories this week and next. We will read the play adaptation of "Monkey's Paw." Students will also learn about the master of suspense, Edgar Allen Poe, this week and read "Tell Tale Heart" and "The Raven." This will go through next week as well.
I will be starting a new program this week, Standard Start, which is an excellent LEAP preparation program. Students will have four Standard Starts a week that they must do at home. Some things may need to be looked up for them to answer since this is a mix of all benchmarks in no particular order. In other words, students may have a question on a topic that we have not yet reviewed. This is a chance for students to do some independent learning. I will give the sheet on Monday, and it will be checked for a grade on Friday. Grades will be for participation and completion. Please help your child with this. We will spend Fridays going over the Standard Starts for the week and also doing "cold reads." (Cold reads are stories that are are completely new to students just as the stories will be on LEAP.)
9/27
A field trip note will go home Monday, 9/27. We will be taking a field trip to Tulane next month to see an Edgar Allen Poe production. We are only able to take the first 50 students to return their permission slips and money. Please be quick. I don't want to see anyone left out that really wants to participate.
Thanks to those of you who have sent in printer paper!
This week we will read Flowers for Algernon. This will be tested on the exam. We will also do some editing work for language arts.
There will be a Daily Dose vocabulary test on Thursday. A study sheet will be given to students Monday, 9/27. When I test on these words, it is not strict multiple choice. Students have to be able to apply the words through pictures, sentences, analogies, finding synonyms and antonyms, and so on. I want to be sure that students understand the words and can use them, not just memorize them for a test. As with all my tests, there will be some past words thrown in. I don't want the students to see them once and never again.
Exams are next week! Reading exam will cover elements of literature, "Raymond's Run", "Harriet Tubman", and Flowers for Algernon. The test will consist of multiple choice, constructed response, and a "cold" read (a story the students have never seen). The language arts exam will cover analogies, spelling words for Flowers for Algernon, and paragraph editing.
Remember, no school Friday!!!!
9/21
An extra credit assignment will be available to students this week. They will be required to do some research to create an Underground Railroad Timeline of 12 given events. They must include the dates on the timeline. This assignment will be given to students on Tuesday and is to be returned by Friday.
We will be reading Harriet Tubman this week. Students will test on Friday. Students will have spelling, vocabulary and comprehension questions for this unit. The spelling test will be Thursday. A packet for the vocabulary will be done at home (or during any free time in class) and is to be handed in on Friday.
Students will also work on writing a personal narrative which will be finalized and typed on Friday. This will count as a test grade. Students will receive a rubric Monday. All writing will be done in class unless a student is absent and has to catch up. The schedule will be as follows: Monday- receive and review rubric and list of topics, Tuesday- prewrite using a FLEE map and/or other graphic organizer, Wednesday-rough draft, Thursday- edit and revise with or without peer review, and Friday- type final copy in computer lab to be handed in for a grade.
9/14
"Raymond's Run", our first short story, will be the focus this week. Students will do spelling, vocabulary and comprehension exercises associated with this story. There will be a test on Friday. Also, the student's second daily dose test will be Wednesday. A list of the vocabulary words was given to the students on Friday.
9/8
Tears of a Tiger test Tuesday. Grammar pretest and diagnosis Tuesday. We will work on grammar convention this week. Spelling unit 3 test Friday.
8/31
This week we will finish Tears of a Tiger. We will read pages 79-102 on Monday, 103-127 Tuesday, 128-154 Wednesday, and finish the book on Thursday. Each day we will look at vocabulary, literary elements and comprehension questions. We will also have discussions regarding some of the issues the characters face. This week we will discuss teen suicide. This is an excellent oppurtunity for you to talk with your child about this serious topic. Some have told me that their parents are reading this book with them and having discussions. I applaude your dedication.
Friday will be the final test for the novel, and students will pretest for grammar. POSTPONED UNTIL TUESDAY NEXT WEEK
By the way, for anyone interested, there are two more books in this series: Forged by Fire and Darkness Before Dawn. The author is Sharon Draper. Students have expressed an interest to read these books, but I do not have a class set of them. I don't have even a single copy for that matter. If anyone is interested in donating a class set, we will definitely try to read them. Otherwise, you may just want to pick up a copy for your child to read on his or her own. They are both AR books.
8/24
I apologize for posting this weeks agenda late. I have been out with a sick child. This week we will continue to read Tears of a Tiger. Students will answer comprehension questions, have class discussions, and find various literary elements throughout the novel. This week will be reading and discussing pages 54-78.
8/17
Analogy test, which was postponed Friday, will be given Monday.
This week we will focus on the elements of literature. Students will be given a handout of notes on Monday. It is a lot of information, but they have seen all of this before so it should just be a review. A test will be given on Friday.
We will continue to read and discuss literary elements of the novel Tears of a Tiger in class.
The first spelling packet will be handed out on Monday. It is due Thursday and will be tested on Thursday,
AR parent letter needs to be signed and returned by Thursday.
8/10 This week we will continue to work on routines of my class. We will also begin reading our first novel, Tears of a Tiger. The reading will be done completely in class. This book goes into some serious issues such as underage drinking, drinking and driving, and suicide. Please be sure to speak with your child about this book. This is a great oppurtunity to start a discussion about some of these important issues our teens face each day.
Analogies will be discussed and reviewd this week. Students will have a test Friday.
