School Newspaper Volume 1, Edition 18

Week 3/27-3/31

I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break! It was nice to relax, refresh, and reset. The next couple of months will be very busy for 8th graders--completing their last quarter of middle school (50 school days left), SBAC testing, and the excitement that comes from moving from middle school to becoming a high school freshman.

With that said, we will start our last novel this week. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a district approved coming of age novel for 8th graders that deals with the themes of depression, isolation, violence, education, friendship, communication, and transformation. 

This week, students will work on structured writing to strengthen their short answer and essay responses. Students will also update their ELA interactive notebooks to include the hero's journey and the difference between active and passive voice. We will then work on pre-reading activities for Speak before we begin reading the novel next week.

Monday
Structured Writing: Week 1
ELA Interactive Notebook: Active/Passive Voice 
ELA Interactive Notebook: Hero's Journey
ELA Interactive Notebook Guided Directions
Tuesday 
Structured Writing: Week 1
School Blogger/Twitter Setup
Wednesday
Structured Writing: Week 1
Speak: Pre-Reading: Author, Novel, and Poem
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
*Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level of 3.5+ for 30 minutes 5 nights per week (students need to have the front side of the AR log completed prior to taking an AR quiz). Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (Quarter 4 is due 6/2). Please see the AR Log for more information. 
Thursday
Structured Writing: Week 1
Speak: Pre-Reading: Themes
Friday
Structured Writing: Week 1
Speak: First Marking Period Vocabulary Twitter Chat #tollchat

Week 3/20-3/24

Happy Spring Break!

School Newspaper Volume 1, Edition 17

Week 3/13-3/17

Last week, we finished reading Fahrenheit 451 and students wrote their last literary response essay for the novel. This is my favorite essay to read and assess because I love how open ended the essay is and the many directions the students can take. Their level of analysis has improved over the course of this novel in both discussions and writing. Click here to check out some of the awesome examples!

This week, students will be working on creating a soundtrack revolving around the concept of the hero's journey. They will work in groups of their choice; however, they will receive an individual grade for their portion of the project with exception of overall neatness, grammar, and daily effort. While this is still "work" that requires critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and, of course, writing, it should be a nice segue into spring break--woohoo!

Monday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Soundtrack Project
Tuesday (Substitute: Honor Society Field Trip to UC Davis)
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Soundtrack Project
Wednesday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Soundtrack Project
AR Log Check (Log-5 entries/Signature)
*Students need to be reading an AR book that has a reading level of 3.5+ for 30 minutes 5 nights per week (students need to have the front side of the AR log completed prior to taking an AR quiz). Students need to earn 35 points at every quarter checkpoint (Quarter 4 is due 6/2). Please see the AR Log for more information. 
Thursday (Honor Society Bake Sale After School)
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Soundtrack Project
Friday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Soundtrack Project Due

School Newspaper Volume 1, Edition 16

Week 3/6-3/10

Last week, we almost finished reading Fahrenheit 451. The book is definitely getting more symbolic with many religious symbolic allusions to uncover. Students are definitely making the connections and understanding the depth and complexity after our discussions (some even before we discuss). As stressed as the students are when they hear the word "test," I actually think they like the daily tests over working on the handout. It eliminates procrastination, cheating, and homework, which are all positive things! 

This week, we will definitely finish reading Fahrenheit 451 and students will write their last literary response essay for this novel. The depth of the essays are definitely improving and I am impressed with their progress. 

Monday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Plot Diagram / Character Sketch 
Daily Quiz #5
Tuesday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Plot Diagram / Character Sketch 
Daily Quiz #6
Wednesday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Plot Diagram / Character Sketch Due
Fahrenheit 451 Part 3 Essay Test
Thursday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Part 3 Essay Test
Friday
Fahrenheit 451 PDF
Fahrenheit 451 Part 3 Essay Test
AR Log Due (35 points)

School Newspaper Volume 1, Edition 15