Skill Review Friday!

• Today was our skill review Friday.  The article all the groups read today is "Journey to Saturn".  
• Students worked on Movie Posters to "SELL" us on reading "George's Secret Key to the Universe".

Homework:

• Read 45 minutes - Log
• NewsELA - Argument is Pluto a Planet

ThursYAY!

• We have been trying to keep the stress level down in ELA since they State Math Test is next week.  We have been working on our class novel and building our comprehension skills, increasing our vocabulary bank, and working on understanding how to critique works of literature. 
• Today we finished the last chapter of our text.  After the problem that was presented in the beginning of the book was finally resolved, the story came to a nice conclusions with just enough questions left for us to want to find out more.  
• After finishing the text, we discussed the book in its entirety, discussing plot, character, setting, and theme.  Once we were able to talk about the book fully, we then moved into assessment mode.  Students took the AR test on the ipads and others started working on a MOVIE POSTER to sell the book.  They have to make you want to read the text, but give you the list of characters, the basic plot (without giving away the ending), tell us about the star of the movie, and one of your favorite characters.  The kids were freaked out that they had to be creative.  I can't wait to see the final products.

Homework:

1. DEAR for 45 minutes
2. Reading Comp - The Legend of Tintern Abbey

Wednesday 4/26

• Today we ready chapters 29 -31 in our class novel "George's Secret key to the Universe".  Students focused on comparing characters and events as well as started to think about writing their critique of the book as we are almost finished.  

Homework:

• DEAR for 45 minutes each night
• Reading Comp - A Greek Myth

Tuesday - Rain Rain Go Away

• Breakfast
• DEAR for 20 Minutes
• Collect Homework

• Our focus today was making sure that everyone remembered the parts of a narrative story (Characters, Setting, and Plot).   We are focusing on how plot is moved forward by looking at not just the text, but also the illustrations or other aspects that add to the overall understanding of the plot.  
• We reviewed the previous chapters by answering "entrance" questions.. and then read chapters 26-28.  The action is really starting to move, but we haven't quite hit the climax.  We talked about the big problem that needs to solved before the story can be resolved, but we also looked at all the mini-problems that have occurred that we call "events" that build up to the climax.  
• Finally, students worked to make sure they could use the illustrations to explain how they increased understanding of the plot and tone of the story.  They worked individually or in pairs to complete their work.  With the remaining time, we started talking about the critique they would have to write and what that entails.  

Homework

• DEAR for 40 minutes
• Reading Comp - The Crow and the Pitcher

Chatty Monday in Room #403

• We started with breakfast and quiet reading time.  Then we moved into our "entrance slip" questions to make sure that students remembered what happened in the last session and were ready to gain new information on our text "Secret Key to the Universe".  
• Our focus in reading today was to use the illustrations and descriptive words to understand how the author feels about different things happening in the book.  This ability to use the text to understand how the author feels is called "TONE".   Remember, how the author wants YOU, the reader, to feel is MOOD, how they feel is the "TONE".  
• We read three chapters, stopping as we read to check for understanding and discussing key ideas and unknown words.  Finally, upon finishing students went to work to use the images and key descriptive words to show the author's TONE about different events in the chapters.
• Finally, students took time to brainstorm ideas for the next "adventure" that they wanted to write about for the characters in the story.  The PBA is writing a new adventure in the same style of the authors about the characters in the story.  Now that we are 2/3 of the way through the book, it is time to start thinking about that new adventure since we know the characters pretty well by now.

Homework:

• DEAR for 45 minutes
• Finish any classwork not done
• Reading Comp/Vocab Practice two sided sheet

TGIF!

Nothing better on a rainy Friday than to have a no stress, nice and uneventful workday....

• We started out with breakfast and DEAR.  Then students went to work in their skill groups to practice skills based on needs.  Today's article all students were working with was about the disappearance of the Mayan Indians.  After each group read the article, they worked on skills that they needed to work on to become stronger readers.  
• Next we went over the three passages from the Spring Break package.  One was a biography on Stephen Hawking, another was a non-fiction about Ice on the Moon, and the last was a fictional tale about Saturn and it's moons. We group read the articles, and went over all the questions one by one to make sure we not only got them right, but understood why we got them right.  Packets now go back to Ms. Cruz so she can use them to prep for the Math State Exams coming up. 
• Finally we reviewed Chapter 4 in our Social Studies book and took a look at working with line graphs.  After we reviewed and did some line graph work, students were allowed to use their notes and book to work on the Chapter 4 Social Studies Test.   They were not allowed to work in teams, but could use the resources we used in class. 

Homework:

1. DEAR for 30-45 Minutes twice this weekend!
2. NewsELA Article:  "Search for life beyond Earth might only need to go as far as Saturn's rings."
3. Senior Dues are DUE!

ThursYAY!

• After breakfast, we copied our I Can statements into our notebooks and then had our 20 minutes of DEAR reading.  Then students worked on 4 comprehension questions to review what we read yesterday.  It was kinda like an "ENTRY" ticket.  
• We read pages 179-205 today with a focus on setting and sensory details.  I wanted them to see that the author gives you clues about MOOD when you they tell you about the setting.  We did some eyes closed "imaginings" as I talked about different ways to say the same setting.  
• We ended the lesson by comparing the setting of two different scenes and finding how through the descriptions, we can find things alike and different in them.  

Homework:

• DEAR for 45 minutes. Log
• Reading Comp - PLUTO / Vocabulary Practice - OUR NATION
• Make sure you bring Vacation Packet tomorrow for class
• Senior Dues are DUE!

We're Back!!!

• What a long break... it was so long that I actually started missing my Kiddos!  Can you believe that?  Man, I must be getting old!  
• Today we came back and went right back to reading our class novel "George's Secret Key to the Universe" by Stephen Hawking.  We reviewed what was going on in the novel before we went on spring break and then we took off making predictions, reading, and discussing chapters 18 and 19.  
• Our class focus today was looking at conflict in the story and how the author develops this conflict.  We talked about how conflict can be "internal" or "external" in nature.  Then we practiced by looking at different conflicts in the chapters.  After reading, I modeled writing up one conflict, we talked about a second conflict, and then the students had to find a third conflict on their own. 
• Students have until FRIDAY to have their vacation packets ready for grading.  If they don't have it by FRIDAY - ZEROS!
• Kelsea was nice enough to come up during lunch to help me code the new books that arrived today from scholastic for our class library.She also unpacked a bunch of CookShop goodies that I will pass out to class 501 tomorrow!  502 got theirs before break.   Thanks Kelsea!  

Homework:

1. Read for 30-45 minutes of IR time.  We need AR Tests!
2. Reading Comp - Cracked Bell

ThursYAY!

In lesson RG 3A.5, our focus comparing and contrasting dialogue and character actions in different parts of the text.  We spent a great deal of time looking at dialogue to make sure they understood the rules and procedures of using the "".     As we ready chapters 12 - 14, we stopped and really examined how the author used dialogue, both to shape the writing and action, and also the actual procedure of where to place the ", where to place the ,.

After answering the comprehension questions, we practiced again using dialogue by having kids come up and edit writing and putting the " in the correct place.  Then students worked on their class activity of comparing and contrasting.  They will use dialogue in their writing of their comic strips.

Several boys in 501 didn't do their homework last night.  They wrote letters explaining this to parents.  I took pictures of the letters and asked them to get it signed so you can see them as well.  Homework is nightly (unless we have a unit test or state test!).

Homework:

• 30-45 minutes of IR
• Dialogue in Comic Strips
• 
  

Wednesday Wrap Up

Today we started by combing lesson 4 and 5 of our HIV Lessons to discuss the impacts of HIV and AIDS on society and Where You Can Go if you have questions.  We watched a great video that summed up our entire lesson group and ended by answering 17 things they should have learned over the course of the lessons!

Next we read Chapters 10-11 of our text "George's Secret Key to the Universe".  We had a great opportunity to see how an author split action into two chapters that actually happened at the same time.  We also worked on how they they organize chapters (plot) so that you can understand what is going on.

Homework

• 30-45 minutes of IR
• What is Chapter 12 -  YOUR IDEA - Plan it, introduce a new character

Tuesday in 403

Today we started by finishing up what we didn't get done yesterday.  We did our mini-lesson on point of view and how to use the text to figure out which perspective was being utilized.  After discussion and notes, we moved on to today's HIV Lesson.

We combined lesson 2 and 3 in our discussion of What is AIDS and How Can We Prevent It?  After watching a video that talked about these topics, we had a brief discussion and then looked at 14 facts about HIV and AIDS to see if they were true or false.

Next we moved into RG Lesson 3A.3.  We read chapters 7 through 9 and stopped after each chapter to do a stop, think, and jot activity about different characters.  After reading all the sections, we had a quick comprehension check before students started working on a craft and structure activity about pages 72 and 73.  If they didn't finish in class, it is homework!

Homework:

• 30-45 minutes of IR
• Reading Comp - "Infectious Disease"
• Craft and Structure 3A.3 if not done
• Senior Dues are DUE by Friday!

Monday Monday

After breakfast and collecting homework, we then moved into our first HIV Lesson for the week. The lesson today was "what is your immune system".  We talked about how your body has an outer and an inner defense system. I was very impressed that many students already knew a lot about the immune system and how it works.  We briefly talked about ways we can help our immune system that are as simple as covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, washing your hands, and make sure you get your immunization shots so you don't get sick.

Our lesson in ReadyGen was lesson 3A.2.  The focus was still on character, plot, and setting.  We ready chapters 4-6 and had some great discussion of how the author is setting up the story and how the story is being told by a third person that can understand how all the other characters feel and think but we never meet them.  This is called third person.  We also met a few new characters today and a couple new problems popped up.   This story is really good.  It is a mixture of fiction and non-fiction and the topic is the universe and space.  I can't wait to see how this book develops.

Homework:

• IR for 30-45 minutes
• Reading Comp worksheet using poetry (Double Sided)