Week 5/28-6/1

Last week, students finished reading the third marking period of Speak and following the development of eight universal themes. 

This week, students will take the MAP Reading Assessment (district requirement); however, if they improve their score, I am offering extra credit (this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for my class, ha!). Click here to see MAP RIT score comparisons for reading and mathematics to help gauge where your child is in comparison to other students. The last 35 points for AR will be due (rejoice--they have completed AR FOREVER, but hopefully many of them will continue to read for fun). We will end the week, by creating concise summaries for the last part of the novel Speak. 

We are in the home stretch--you almost have high schoolers! With that said, Rodriguez High School (RHS) is having an amazing opportunity for parents and students to help make the transition from middle school to high school easy. Check out the workshops that they have set up for parents https://bit.ly/2ILj945 and students https://bit.ly/2sasUl1!   

Monday
Memorial Day Observed
Tuesday
MAP Reading Assessment
Wednesday
MAP Reading Assessment
AR Due (35 Points)
Thursday
Speak: Reading and 10-Word Summary
Friday
Speak: Reading and 10-Word Summary

Week 5/21-5/25

Last week, students read the second marking period of Speak and created "Would You Rather?" situations for the vocabulary words, discovered symbolism in Melinda's art project, and analyzed universal themes.

This week, students will read the third marking period of Speak. They will create #BookSnaps for their vocabulary words and analyze different universal themes. 

Monday
Speak: Third Marking Period Vocabulary #BookSnaps
Tuesday
Speak: Reading and Theme Development
Wednesday
Speak: Reading and Theme Development
Thursday

Speak: Reading Theme Development

Friday

Non-Student Day

Week 5/14-5/18

Last week, students finished their CAASPP/SBAC testing in English (if they didn't finish, they will be pulled from non-academic classes on Monday to finish)! This week they will test in math. This means we will be on a block schedule Monday through Thursday (for the last time this year). 

I must say that I am SO EXCITED to actually be able to interact with the students again--I have missed our conversations, discussions, and the learning that usually occurs in the classroom. This week, we will continue reading Speak. Students will work collaboratively in groups to create "Would You Rather...?" situations using the vocabulary words from the second marking period and read and apply their reading to their dialectical journals, while also looking at how art symbolizes the protagonist's life.

Monday: Periods 135
Speak: Second Marking Period Vocabulary 
Speak: Reading
Tuesday: Periods 246
Speak: Second Marking Period Vocabulary 
Speak: Reading
Wednesday: Periods 135
Speak: Second Marking Period Vocabulary 
Speak: Reading and Symbolic Analysis
Thursday: Periods 246
Speak: Second Marking Period Vocabulary 
Speak: Reading and Symbolic Analysis
Friday
Speak: Reading and Theme Development
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 earn 35 points at every checkpoint (05/30). Please see the AR Log for more information. GOOD NEWS: Students only need to complete the front side to take an AR quiz!

Week 5/7-5/11

Last week, students tested all week! They finished the adaptive portion of the test (CAT) that consisted of multiple choice, multiple select, hot text, evidence-based response, and constructed response; and, on Friday, they started the performance task (PT) and learned the type of essay they will have (narrative, explanatory, or argumentative). Here are some guides that will help them feel confident on the test: Argumentative Essay Roadmap, Explanatory Essay Roadmap, and Narrative Essay Roadmap.

Please support them by ensuring that they get a good nights sleep, eat a well-balanced breakfast, well wishes of support, and stock them full of "quiet" snacks to bring to class in case they get hungry (I have some treats for them, as well)! Click here for the testing schedule!

Monday
Periods 1, 3, 5 SBAC Testing
Tuesday
Periods 2, 4, 6 SBAC Testing
Wednesday
Periods 1, 3, 5 SBAC Testing
Thursday
Periods 2, 4, 6 SBAC Testing

Friday
ALL Periods SBAC Testing