Week 6/3-6/7

It has been wonderful teaching and learning from your children this year and working together as a team with you! I am going to miss all of my kiddos so much, but I also know that they have bigger and better endeavors to conquer, goals to reach, and dreams to fulfill. These kiddos are absolutely amazing and they are going to achieve new heights in the years to come and I can't wait to see what they accomplish. 

Congratulations Class of 2023!

Monday
Speak: MP4 Symbolic Summaries
Tuesday
"Speak" Movie 
Wednesday
"Speak" Movie 
Thursday
8th-Grade Promotion
Friday
Non-Student Day

Week 5/27-5/31

Last week, students shared a few frustrations about feeling overwhelmed with their classes. To help ease their frustrations, I decided to move MAP testing up, extend it by one day, and offer extra credit based on any growth shown this year. While they weren't thrilled about taking another test, they understood that it was a district requirement and were quite happy about the idea of extra credit and just being "heard" when voicing their concerns. 

This week, students will finish their MAP Reading Assessment. Click here to see the 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!). In addition, we will finish the Third Marking Period of Speak and ease into the Fourth Marking Period. 

Monday
Memorial Day Observed
Tuesday
MAP Testing
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Due (Logs/Book Talks/35 points)
Wednesday
Speak: MP3 Theme Development
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Speak: MP4 Symbolic Summaries
CHROMEBOOK AND CHARGER TURNED IN TODAY TO AVOID FINES!!!
Friday
Speak: MP4 Symbolic Summaries

Week 5/20-5/24

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: MP3 Theme Development
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday
Speak: MP3 Theme Development
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
MAP Testing
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
MAP Testing
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Non-Student Day

Week 5/13-5/17

Last week, students finished their CAASPP/SBAC testing in English (if they didn't finish, they will finish up tomorrow)! 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 occurs in the classroom. This week, we will continue reading Speak. Students will work collaboratively with their partners to create "Would You Rather...?" situations using the vocabulary words from the second marking period. Students will also continue to read and look for symbolism within the novel and theme development.  

Monday-Block Schedule 135
Speak: MP2 Would You Rather...? Vocabulary
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday-Block Schedule 246
Speak: MP2 Would You Rather...? Vocabulary
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday-Block Schedule 135
Speak: MP2 Symbolic Art Project and Theme Development
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday-Block Schedule 246
Speak: MP2 Symbolic Art Project and Theme Development
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Speak: MP2 Symbolic Art Project and Theme Development
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!

Week 5/6-5/10

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)! 

Monday
SBAC PT
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday
SBAC PT
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
SBAC PT
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
SBAC PT
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
SBAC PT
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!

Week 4/29-5/3

Last week, we briefly reviewed the year for the upcoming CAASPP/SBAC testing! The kiddos are prepared and I know that they are going to do a fabulous job and show what they know!

This week, please make sure that they get a good nights sleep, eat a hearty breakfast, bring "quiet" snacks to munch on, have mints, and definitely bring their "A" game. In addition, they will need to have their fully charged Chromebooks and wired headphones EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Monday-Block Schedule 135
SBAC CAT
*Chromebook and headphones need to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday-Block Schedule 246
SBAC CAT
*Chromebook and headphones need to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday-Block Schedule 135
SBAC CAT
*Chromebook and headphones need to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday-Block Schedule 246
SBAC CAT
*Chromebook and headphones need to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
SBAC PT
*Chromebook and headphones need to be brought to school and fully charged!

Week 4/22-4/26

Last week, students finished reading the "First Marking Period" of Speak. Through their dialectical journals, they are exploring quotes that "speak" to them and analyzing them for a particular theme of their choice. The students have shared how "easy" it is--this is music to my ears. At the beginning of the year, getting students to analyze by going beyond the literal or surface meaning was something that they struggled with. I told them that by the end of the year, it would be easy. Well, we are pretty much at the end of the year and it is easy for almost all of them! 

This week, we are prepping for the upcoming state testing. I try to make it as fun and interactive as possible; however, it is still test prep! It is all review and when they go to take the test, I hope they will say that it is easy, too! Click here for more information!

Monday
Non-Student Day
Tuesday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
SBAC CAT Test Prep
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
SBAC CAT Test Prep
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak/SBAC Test Prep
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak/SBAC Test Prep
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/Signature) x2 (last week and this week)
*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 30 points at every checkpoint (05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information. 

Week 4/15-4/19

Last week, students began reading the novel Speak and analyzing the themes, symbolism, and mental state of the main character through analytical writing and academic conversations. The students have noticed (I have too!) how much their analytical writing has improved over the course of the year. I am SO proud of their hard work. 

This week, students will continue this process as we finish up the "First Marking Period" of Speak. 

Monday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: Reading and Dialectical Journal #2
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: Reading and Dialectical Journal #2 Peer Critique
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: Reading and Dialectical Journal #3 (Test)
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Work Day
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Non-Student Day

Week 4/8-4/12

Last week, students learned about the mental health themes that are involved in Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak. Also, we are utilizing Padlet like Twitter to incorporate quick and concise responses to connect the novel to real life connections. Click here to view some of there responses and continue to follow along and feel free to like, comment, or add to the discussion!

This week, students will begin reading the novel. Since this is an easier novel, critical thinking and analytical reasoning will be applied more through their writing utilizing dialectical journals and peer critiques using the RISE feedback model. 

Monday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: Poster/Video Theme Critique
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: Reading and Dialectical Journal
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: Reading and Dialectical Journal
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: MP1 Vocabulary (Story/Video)
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
SBAC Writing Warm-Up 
Speak: MP1 Vocabulary (Story/Video)
Speak: Reading and Dialectical Journal
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/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 30 points at every checkpoint (05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information. 

Week 4/1-4/5

Spring Break was FABULOUS--I hope everyone took some time to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. The next 50 schools days are going to fly by and you will have a high school freshman soon. Crazy, huh? It seems like it was just yesterday when they started 8th-grade! 

This week, students are going to start working on writing warm-ups to reinforce the writing skills that have been taught throughout the year. I want them to feel completely successful on their upcoming SBAC assessment (this is also the last year they will take this assessment until 11th-grade). In addition, students will start the pre-reading activities for their next novel Speak (1999) by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is a district-approved novel that is described as a "powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself." This is an easy read and students should enjoy it after reading Fahrenheit 451.

Monday
Writing Warm-Up
Speak: Pre-Reading (Author, Novel, and Poem)
Tuesday
Writing Warm-Up
Speak: Pre-Reading (Themes Poster)
Wednesday
Writing Warm-Up
Speak: Pre-Reading (Themes Poster)
Thursday
Writing Warm-Up
Speak: Pre-Reading (Themes Video and Review)
Friday
Writing Warm-Up
Speak: Pre-Reading (Themes Review)
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/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 30 points at every checkpoint (05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information. 

Week 3/25-3/29

School Resumes: Monday, April 1, 2019

Week 3/18-3/22

Last week, students worked on their "Burning Bright" HyperDoc and even created a group poster that followed Montag's journey as a hero (literal) and as a Christian (symbolic). They have been doing a fabulous job--check out some of their posters below!

This week they will finish the novel! As a reward, they will watch the movie adaptation "Fahrenheit 451" (2018) instead of writing an essay prior to Spring Break (we could all use a brain break)!

Monday
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday--Block Schedule 135
AR Log Due (Logs/Book Talks/30 points)
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday--Block Schedule 246
AR Log Due (Logs/Book Talks/30 points)
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday--RHS Drumline Assembly
Fahrenheit 451 Movie
Friday
Fahrenheit 451 Movie

Week 3/11-3/15

Last week, students took a site argumentative writing assessment. This assessment allowed students to "show what they know" and practice the argumentative essay in a testing situation prior to the SBAC. Students seemed confident in their writing abilities without the use of notes and/or guides during the assessment. English teachers will get together and score all of these essays this Thursday.

This week, students will start the third and final part of Fahrenheit 451: "Burning Bright." The biblical allusions in this part are heavy, but I know that the students will be able to pick them out, research what they mean, and critically analyze why Bradbury decided to include them in this novel. 

Monday
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday (Block Schedule 135)
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday (Block Schedule 246)
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright Vocabulary
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Fahrenheit 451: Burning Bright Group Poster
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/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 30 points at every checkpoint (03/19, and 05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information. 

Week 3/4-3/8

Last week, students finished Part 2 of Fahrenheit 451 "The Sieve and the Sand." Their analytical skills are taking off, especially when they analyzed Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach" lyric poem that mirrors the Fahrenheit 451 society and collaborated together on a myriad of stations. 

This week, students will take a site writing assessment. This assessment will allow students to "show what they know" and practice the argumentative essay in a testing situation prior to the SBAC. Students should feel well prepared for this assessment as they have all the tools to excel and I know they will do a fabulous job. Next week, English teachers will get together and score these essays, so stay tuned!

Monday
Site Writing Assessment: Argumentative Essay
Tuesday: Block Schedule 135
Site Writing Assessment: Argumentative Essay
Wednesday: Block Schedule 246
Site Writing Assessment: Argumentative Essay
Thursday
Site Writing Assessment: Argumentative Essay
Friday
Site Writing Assessment: Argumentative Essay
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/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 30 points at every checkpoint (03/19, and 05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information. 

Week 2/25-3/1

Last week, students continued to dive deeper into the world of Fahrenheit 451. Their critical thinking and writing skills continue to develop and improve (I am SO proud of them).

This week, students will finish Part 2: "The Sieve and the Sand" and then analyze the poem "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold. It is a difficult poem, but I know that they can handle it. They all celebrated when I informed them that they would not have an essay for this part of the novel (I have never seen smiles so big). Instead, they will have a culminating group poster that summarizes (another important skill) the novel thus far. 

Monday
Fahrenheit 451: The Sieve and the Sand HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday
Fahrenheit 451: "Dover Beach" HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
Fahrenheit 451: "Dover Beach" HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
GATE Field Trip to the Exploratorium
Catch Up Day
Friday
Fahrenheit 451: Assessment Stations

Week 2/18-2/22

Last week, students wrote their first literary analysis essay and I have to say that their analytical skills are already showing improvement. Check out some of their amazing essays that I had the pleasure to assess: click here. I am SO proud of all of their hard work and growth and I know that they will continue to make progress! At the beginning of the year, I told students that writing essays would get easier and easier (I never promised they would be fun!), and the students seem to be in agreement that they are getting easier (yay!).

This week, students will continue to dive into and analyze Fahrenheit 451!

Monday
Washington's Birthday Observed
Tuesday
Fahrenheit 451: The Sieve and the Sand HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
Fahrenheit 451: Create Kahoot! Quiz for Vocabulary Words (Substitute)
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Fahrenheit 451: The Sieve and the Sand HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Fahrenheit 451: The Sieve and the Sand HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/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 30 points at every checkpoint (03/19, and 05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information. 

Week 2/11-2/15

Last week, students really began analyzing Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. They did a fabulous job and their critical reading and thinking skills are truly coming alive--it is so awesome to see them in action and the amazing connections they are are able to make. 

This week, students will put their knowledge to the test (literally) when they write a literary analysis essay to demonstrate their understanding of the themes in the novel. They will have their choice between two prompts and they will be able to work with a partner (this novel is ALL about discussing the concepts and formulating connections, so I recommend this). 

Monday
Lincoln's Birthday Observed
Tuesday
Fahrenheit 451: The Hearth and the Salamander HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
Fahrenheit 451: Literary Analysis Essay Assessment
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Fahrenheit 451: Literary Analysis Essay Assessment Due to GC by 11:59 p.m.
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Fahrenheit 451: The Sieve and the Sand HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
AR Log Check (Log/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 30 points at every checkpoint (03/19, and 05/28). Please see the Accelerated Reader Roadmap for more information.