Week 1/28-2/1

Last week, students took the MAP test. All periods improved: Period 2 went from 233.7 to 238.2, Period 3 went from 236.3 to 238, and Period 4 went from 233.2 to 235.9. They showed tremendous growth (especially when most students were expected to only maintain their scores or improve by 1 point). These scores indicate that our kiddos are in and/or near the top 10% in the nation!

This week, we will start reading Fahrenheit 451. The basic plot is easy to understand and follows the hero's journey; however, it can be a challenging read due to the allusions and symbolism Ray Bradbury uses throughout the novel. I will guide the students every step of the way! We will read and discuss the novel at great length and students will write literary analysis essays to demonstrate their understanding. As I told the students, this will be the most difficult quarter of the year for my class!

Monday
Guest Speaker: Ms. Cottman (Librarian) GALE Database
Fahrenheit 451: PreReading Building Background Knowledge
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday
Stanford University Field Trip (Honor Society and College and Career Club)
Fahrenheit 451: PreReading Building Background Knowledge
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
Fahrenheit 451: Vocabulary
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Fahrenheit 451: The Hearth and the Salamander HyperDoc
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Fahrenheit 451: The Hearth and the Salamander 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 1/21-1/25

Last week, students finished their first essay of 2019! Their writing has not only grown tremendously, but they are also getting quicker with writing their essays. This is great news! I don't have them completely assessed yet (sorry!), but you can click here for some standard exceeded essays to use as a comparison. 

Please enjoy this Monday off as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy. Here is a short video from Kid President that is bound to make you smile. 

This week, students will take the MAP assessment to assess their reading comprehension skills. This district assessment is given three times per year (fall, winter, and spring) in the hopes to show growth. When students are at or above the 8th-grade level according to RIT scores, typically one point of growth is all that one will see (click here to see score norms). For students that completed the test in the Fall, their scores are recorded in Parent Portal (refer to the Semester 1 Gradebook). This time, the scores will be used to place 8th-grade students into 9th-grade honors, English, or lab classes. To finish off the week, students will complete a HyperDoc to give them background knowledge in regards to the upcoming novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Monday
MLKJr.'s Birthday Observed
Tuesday
Block Schedule P135: MAP Testing
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
Block Schedule P246: MAP Testing
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Fahrenheit 451: PreReading Building Background Knowledge
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Fahrenheit 451: PreReading Building Background Knowledge
*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 1/14-1/18

Last week, students examined different topics, found one that interested them, researched the topic using credible sources, and completed two different pre-writing outlines (this was to show them that they have options when outlining). They ended the week getting feedback on their outlines and writing their introductory paragraph. The argumentative topics are really interesting and include diets, body image, NBA, school start times, school dress codes, gaming devices, high school options, death penalty, abortion, technology effects, college, video games, homework, animal cruelty, and many more!

This week, the writing fun continues! They will write the entire essay during class time and then have an opportunity to peer edit (this really allows students the opportunity to see different writing and to be able to critique by offering constructive feedback). I will walk around and be there to support them the entire way! 

Monday
Argumentative Essay: Body Paragraphs
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Tuesday
Argumentative Essay: Body Paragraphs
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Wednesday
Argumentative Essay: Counterargument
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Argumentative Essay: Conclusion
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Argumentative Essay: Peer Editing (Essay Due to GC by 11:59 p.m.)
*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 1/7-1/11

Welcome back from a wonderful winter break! I hope everyone had a wonderful time relaxing and rejuvenating around all those that bring us the most joy--our family and friends. This next semester will be more intense than the last semester as we build on what we learned and apply it more independently and at a deeper level. We will continue to focus on building our critical reading and writing skills as we tackle all genres of writing (narrative, expository/explanatory, and argumentative) again and focus more on reading and analyzing novels. 

This week, students will work on writing an argumentative essay on a topic of their choice. This is not a guided essay; however, they have all of the tools necessary to complete this task. It allows them to practice the argumentative essay and gives them the freedom to choose a topic that is of interest to them. Students will start by examining different topics, finding one that interests them, researching the topic using credible sources, and completing a pre-writing outline. The week will conclude with students beginning their essays in-class and receiving oral teacher feedback on their pre-writing outlines.

Monday
Argumentative Essay: Choice Topic Research/Notes
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
TuesdayArgumentative Essay: Choice Topic Research/Notes
Argumentative Essay: Choice Pre-Writing Outline
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
WednesdayArgumentative Essay: Choice Topic Research/Notes Due 11:59 p.m. to GC
Argumentative Essay: Choice Pre-Writing Outline
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Thursday
Argumentative Essay: Choice Pre-Writing Outline Due 11:59 p.m. to GC
*Chromebook needs to be brought to school and fully charged!
Friday
Teacher Conference Station: Pre-Writing Outline Oral Feedback
Argumentative Essay: Introduction/Body Paragraphs
*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.