Week 10/31-11/4

Last week, the students were able to be creative--yay! Many of them chose to produce a new take on "The Tell-Tale Heart" by creating a graphic novel from a different perspective, a children's book that uses animals, a thematic song, or a newspaper from the 1800s. Students will be adding their projects to their e-portfolios, so please check them out in the next week or so. Here is an example of some amazing artwork from Sophia K. for her graphic novel--that is some talent! Also, please look at the book recommendations from my 8th graders as there are some really good books!

This week, the students will have a mixture of applying their critical thinking skills and being creative. We will be reading "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes to reinforce the ideas of plot, theme, characterization, multiple perspectives, and literary analysis (not an essay--they are happy about that). The true creativity part will be when students are to create a song to coincide a film portrayal of "Thank You, Ma'am" incorporating elements from the story. I rarely offer extra credit; however, I am going to for this assignment. Students will have the opportunity to perform their song (sing and dance) for their class (and my enjoyment) on Friday, November 18 (a nice way to go into Thanksgiving Break). I will try to record some of them to share with the entire family over the break...I am sure many students will have their phones out for this one! 

Monday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Reflections E-Portfolios
"Thank You Ma'am" Vocabulary
"Thank You Ma'am" PDF
"Thank You Ma'am" Slidedeck
Tuesday
"Thank You Ma'am" PDF
"Thank You Ma'am" Slidedeck
"Thank You Ma'am" Handout Side 1  Side 2
Wednesday
"Thank You Ma'am" Literary Analysis Assessment
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
  *Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level >3.5 for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (12/9, 3/10 and 6/2). GOOD NEWS: Students only need to complete the front side  to take an AR quiz!
Thursday
"Thank You Ma'am" PDF
"Thank You Ma'am" Slidedeck
"Thank You Ma'am" Thematic Song Project
Friday 
"Thank You Ma'am" PDF
"Thank You Ma'am" Slidedeck
"Thank You Ma'am" Thematic Song Project Due 6:00 p.m.

School Newspaper Volume 1, Edition 5

Week 10/24-10/28

Last week, the students really brought their ability to analyze to a whole new level--from reading a short story to writing a literary analysis essay that analyzes the themes of time and mortality! It is amazing that they can now take a 10-15 word quote and write paragraphs about the quote's deeper meaning. Here are some examples of "A" level essays from Friday's essay. 

One issue that the students really struggle with is having to be right all the time. Sometimes, this means that they are not willing to try for fear of being wrong. This is a trait in many GATE/Honor students because of that perfectionist tendency, but it is to their detriment to have an unwillingness to try. I am a former GATE student myself and, of course, I always want to be right; however, it is important to learn that one will not grow without failing, struggling, or having to work at something before truly grasping the skill. Please try to help me instill this in our kiddos that trying and not succeeding the first time does not make them a failure or wrong in any way, it just means they don't have it YET. This growth mindset is imperative to have in order to continue to challenge themselves to venture out of their comfort zones and truly accomplish the unimaginable. 

This week, students will be working on a RAFT Project. It is an in-class project where students will be able to work with a partner (if they want) and it should not require extra time out of class, as long as students are using their class time wisely. It should be a nice creative break from the deep analysis of last week.

Monday
Book Shelfie Quarter 1
"The Tell-Tale Heart" PDF
"The Tell-Tale Heart" RAFT Project
Tuesday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" RAFT Project
Wednesday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" RAFT Project
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
  *Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level >3.5 for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (12/9, 3/10 and 6/2). GOOD NEWS: Students only need 5-entries to take an AR quiz!
Thursday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" RAFT Project Due at the End of the Period
Friday-Substitute 
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Literary Analysis Reflection (E-Portfolios)
"Thank You Ma'am" Introduction and Vocabulary

Week 10/17-10/21

On Tuesday, October 11, Green Valley Middle School held a mock election and Hillary Clinton won by a landslide. You can click here to see the results from across the state. It is exciting to see students get involved in politics as they will be the future of this nation and one day making these important decisions. 

Last week and this week, we are focusing on mood and tone and applying our learning to Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart." Edgar Allan Poe had an interesting life that was marked by despair, darkness, and untimely deaths. Students will be applying their critical thinking skills when it comes to the themes of time and mortality and understanding the use of symbolism to reflect the religious undertones and metaphors to reflect the themes.

On Friday, October 21, AR is due. Students need 35 points to earn full credit. Points are determined by the following:

1. Reading an AR eligible book
2. Filling out an AR log (5+ entries)
3. Taking and passing a comprehension test
4. Getting the AR log signed by a teacher/librarian verifying they took the test and the points earned
5. Turning in the completed log to me by the end of the day on 10/21

Many students have already reached their reading goal and we even have one millionaire reader already-Jade L.! You can see the number of points your child has by looking at Parent Portal and seeing the number of points that have been entered (I enter the points as soon as students turn in their AR logs). My room will be open before school (7:45 a.m.), during lunch, and after school for students to take AR quizzes all week. 

Monday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" PDF
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Handout 2
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Quote Bank
Tuesday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Movie Analysis
Wednesday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Group Close Reading Analysis
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
  *Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level >3.5 for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (10/21, 12/9, 3/10 and 6/2). GOOD NEWS: Students only need 5-entries to take an AR quiz!
Thursday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Summary (E-Portfolios)
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Literary Analysis Essay
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Guided Hints
Literary Analysis Outline
Friday
AR Due 35 Points
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Literary Analysis Essay
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Guided Hints
Literary Analysis Outline

School Newspaper Volume 1, Edition 4

Week 10/10-10/14

The students and I had some really awesome discussions last week regarding this presidential election as I was walking around and helping them with the essays. There are a lot of strong opinions, some general confusion, and all around curiosity about the future. It is great to see them thinking about the politics and investigating what they have heard, fact checking, and learning to look at the other side. One thing that I try to instill in the students is that we live in America where we are free to have our own opinions; however, that does not mean we should be ignorant to the other side or even attack the other side. Evidence, logic, and reason can go a long way, but personal beliefs are just that-personal. I will always challenge what they say to get them thinking about both sides of the argument diplomatically, without ever attacking their personal views. 

What I have really enjoyed about the process of this essay is that they are usually complaining about the actual task of writing--structure, analysis, etc.; however, this time, they are struggling to put the "truth" in their essay and feel confident about what they are writing without going against their moral compass. It has been great to watch them struggle because this means they are truly thinking critically about the issues. This will definitely allow them to make an informed decision when they participate in the nationwide Student Presidential Mock Election in their history classes on Tuesday. Here is a link to examples of "A" essays. 

This week, we will be shifting our focus towards a short story again. I always try to give them a week off from essay writing (it is really for my own sanity). We will begin the week with a study on mood and tone to help them understand Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." While I am usually a sucker for romance and shy away from horror, everybody loves Poe! 

Monday
Non-Student Day
Tuesday
Student Presidential Mock Election (History Classes)
Mood and Tone Interactive Notebook Activity
Wednesday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Background/Vocabulary
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
  *Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level >3.5 for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (10/21, 12/9, 3/10 and 6/2). GOOD NEWS: Students only need 5-entries to take an AR quiz!
Thursday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Vocabulary Due Friday
Friday
"The Tell-Tale Heart" PDF
"The Tell-Tale Heart" Handout 1

Week 10/3-10/7

We finally finished our first short story "Charles" last week. The students were troopers and made it through their depth and complexity handouts, an argumentative short-essay test, and a group narrative from a different character's perspective. Their "handwriting" was done after that; however, then they got their next argumentative essay (at least, they are back on the computers).

This week we will continue to work on the new argumentative essay regarding the 2016 Presidential Election. This is not a guided essay; rather, this essay will demonstrate their implementation of what was taught. I am always here for support. If you feel your child is struggling, please have them email me or use Remind to communicate with me. I am always available for help (well, until like 9:00 p.m. when I make myself go to bed). I am actually looking forward to grading these essays. Hopefully, they will help me decide!

I also want to thank you for all of the "Remind" messages this week and weekend and to thank you for voting. I am trying to get part of my Donors Choose Bring on the Books: We Love to Read! project for books funded and I love free money from these large companies. Sonic is willing to donate up to $600 for the projects that have the most votes--I am competitive, so I am hoping that I win. Fingers crossed! Click here to continue voting! You can vote every day and if you share it on social media or email the link to someone, we get extra votes. For this week's voting, I think they decide the top votes tonight at 10:00 p.m.

Monday
Presidential Election Argumentative Essay Evidence Sheet and Outline Due at 11:59 p.m. to GC
Tuesday
KROC Center College and Career Fair Field Trip (No English Work-Woo Hoo!)
Wednesday
Presidential Election Argumentative Essay
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
  *Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level >3.5 for 30 minutes 5 nights per week. Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (10/21, 12/9, 3/10 and 6/2). GOOD NEWS: Students only need 5-entries to take an AR quiz!
Thursday
Presidential Election Argumentative Essay 
Friday
Presidential Election Argumentative Essay Due at 8:00 pm. to GC
Peer Editing Feedback Sheet
*This is also the day that I will be accompanying the Honor Society club to Cal Berkeley!