Happy Halloween!!
Be careful trick or treating... it is dark and dreary out there; the goblins might get you!

Congratulations to my period 6 for winning the PIZZA PARTY for box top collections! Wow! Thank you :)

P. 1,4: Today we reviewed Point of view for the last time before the quiz! No problem...you got this. Students worked on their fiction/nonfiction analysis with a common theme by creating Talking Heads. You are pulling out some fantastic symbolism. Can't wait for the finished product!
H/W: Point of View assessment tomorrow. Make sure you study your definition sheet and think of our examples and tips (such as not considering dialogue).

P. 2, 5, 6: Fish Bowl Socratic today! How exciting to see you in charge of your learning and discussion! Students came well prepared, and for many of them this format is unfamiliar; they stepped up and did a great job. Bring all your supplies tomorrow because we will continue.
H/W: Point of View assessment tomorrow. Make sure you study your definition sheet and think of our examples and tips (such as not considering dialogue).

P. 5: Chpt 13 RC Monday

Have fun tonight! Don't like Baby Ruth bars? This is a tough thing for me to do, but I will take those off your hands; someone's got to do it, right? I will make the sacrifice...                                             :)

Hello!

Reminder: Food drive starts next week! On Monday you may begin to bring canned/boxed food to your period 1 class.

P. 1,4: Today we started creating a visual for all of the compare/contrast information about Uncle Vernon or Smitty and the Unknown Soldier (using facts from our PTSD article). We call this "Talking Heads," and we are realizing we have so much information to fit on one little head! In p. 4 students had to finish their acuity test because of the internet glitch we had last week.
H/W: Point of View narration assessment on Friday. Study your sheet of definitions, and we will continue to practice...you're getting it!

P. 2,5,6: Today students started their essay about their own unique learning style. They collected information about which media they gained deeper understanding - reading and analysis discussion or the poem video of "Invictus." The paragraph was a challenge because of the necessary details used to support their claim. We also went over the guidelines for Socratic Seminar for tomorrow.
H/W: P. 2,5,6: 1) Bring your thorough Socratic responses tomorrow. No responses, no ticket. 2) Point of View assessment Friday.
         P. 5: Chpt 13 of RC due Monday.

Here is a link to the Invictus poem in Invictus
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FozhZHuAcCs&desktop_uri=%252Fwatch%253Fv%253DFozhZHuAcCs&app=desktop


See you tomorrow!

Welcome back!

How wonderful to have four glorious days off! The cold is settling in, so long sweet summer, and back to reality :)  You all did a great job making the transition back to school!

P. 1,4: Today we reviewed Point of View, and then we continued with our comparison of a common theme in fiction and nonfiction. We watched a video of the Changing of the Guard at Arlington for the Unknown Soldier as we pondered...was Uncle V. an unknown soldier? Is that how he felt about himself? Then we lightened the mood by watching a video of soldiers' responses when the audience is less than respectful at the ceremony; we felt embarrassed for some people! Students continued to fill in their triple- entry comparison chart.
H/W: 1) Finish your triple entry chart. You must have 10 bullets for Uncle Vernon, 10 bullets for the PTSD article, and as many similarities as possible for middle column. 2) Point of View Narration quiz Friday

P. 2,5,6: Reviewed Point of View with examples, and then we took another look at "Invictus." We recorded three strategies we used in class to help us understand the depth of the poem as it relates to Power of the mind. Then we watched the Invictus movie excerpt where the poem is recited, and recorded three ways the video helped us understand the poem. After that, students had to make a claim about which form of media, text or video, helped them deeply understand the meaning of the poem. They will write an essay tomorrow supporting their claim.
H/W: P. 2,5,6: 1) Socratic Seminar responses due Thursday. Point of View quiz Friday. 3) Finish RC
         P. 5: Chpt 12 RC due tomorrow.

It was nice seeing you today!

Woo hoo! Ready for the long weekend...yay!

So wonderful to meet more parents last night at conferences. I appreciate all the support you give your child and expecting them to be accountable for their learning. The turn-out was fantastic!

P. 1,4: Today we reviewed some "can't miss" parts of the sad/not sad resolution to The Mailbox. My platform for this book is Veterans' awareness, so now we will combining fiction and nonfiction. We will be putting this info into an art project and researching Fallen Soldiers for Veterans' Day.
H/W: Nothing!! Enjoy your weekend!

p. 2,5,6: We reviewed the most recent Crusoe chapter and then had work time for reading and Socratic Seminar questions. Remember, more than one answer for each question!
H/W: P. 5: chpt. 12 for Wed
         P. 6: Finish the book for Wed

You are all the best! Thank you for a great week.

Spell Bowl Update: Go team!! We qualified for state competition and will be headed to Purdue Nov. 16! What an amazing team I have this year! Yay!!!

***Don't forget to wear blue tomorrow in celebration of our national Blue Ribbon award.

Today all classes took the acuity pretest for quarter 2. Thanks for your focus and attention.

H/W P.1,4: Finish The Mailbox tonight. I will give about 15-20 minutes of reading time tomorrow if you have conferences tonight and can't finish.

H/W P. 2,6: No reading tonight. Start working on your Socratic questions. I will also give class time tomorrow.

H/W P. 5: Chpt. 11 due tomorrow. I will give class time for Socratic questions tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing students and parents tonight!

Greeting!

It was such a pleasure to meet many parents at the conferences last night. I am constantly reminded of the wonderful parents we have at DMS because of the investment they have in their child's learning...so many great questions and valuable insights. Thank you for your attendance, and I look forward to Wednesday evening as well!

Regional Spell Bowl meet in La Porte tonight! Wish my Spell Bowl team good luck!

P. 1,4: We had a casual assessment of Point of View Narration today. We need more practice and will continue to do so! Third-person objective is confusing us, and we'll keep at it until we get it! We began reading chpt. 19 as a class today...the funeral...we feel so badly for Gabe :(
H/W: Finish chpt 19 and be ready to answer questions tomorrow.

P. 2,5,6: After a white board assessment about Point of View, we continued with a jigsaw activity on the Robben Island article. Student answered essential questions in groups regarding the parallels between RC and Mandela and Mandela's perception of power. We discussed the long life of apartheid in South Africa and the role Mandela played. Who has more power of the mind- Mandela or RC?
H/W: P. 5: 1) Read chpt 11 in RC for Thurs. 2) Socratic questions due Oct. 31. 3) Make sure you have your questions for class work time tomorrow
         P. 2,6: 1) Read chpt. 13 for Wed. 2) Socratic questions due Oct. 31. 3) Make sure you have your questions for class work time tomorrow

Hello!

I look forward to seeing you and your parents either tonight or Wed. at student-led conferences!

P. 1, 4: Today we reviewed the questions about characters moving plot from The Mailbox. Remember to read and answer each part of the question! Then we reviewed Point of View Narration and applied it to our novel. There are five different points of view you are responsible for knowing.
H/W: Get caught up on The Mailbox if you are behind. We will read chpt .19 together.

P. 2,5,6: We reviewed Point of View Narration and applied it to our novel. There are five different points of view you are responsible for knowing. It can be tricky! After that we took out "Robben Island" and annotated for understanding. This excerpt is from Nelson Mandela's autobiography and we can use it to make inferences about how he used Power of the Mind while in prison.
H/W: P. 5: Read chpt. 10 of RC for tomorrow (this was assigned last week)
         P. 2,6: Read chpt 13 for Wed. Socratic questions due Oct. 31

Thank you!

Hello!

My DMS Spell bowl team placed first at the Invitational in Concord! On to the Regionals on Tues.!

P. 1,4: Visited the Book Fair and practiced more "Evidence" writing with The Mailbox. We also did a review of Point of View narration because it was a low are in the students' acuity results. There is a great video about this topic that we watched today.
H/W: Read Mailbox chpt. 16

p. 2,5,6: Went to the Book Fair, and then revisited the "Invictus" analysis with a literature web done in groups. We also did a review of Point of View narration because it was a low are in the students' acuity results. There is a great video about this topic that we watched today, and I have added that to my weblinks.
H/W: Period 5: finish chpt 9
H/W: Periods 2, 6: No h/w!

Have a good Friday. I will have a guest teacher tomorrow, so please have integrity and respect, and show her what a 4 star school is! Thank you everyone!

Hello!

Wish my Spell bowl team good luck tonight as we go to Concord for our first meet! :)

Period 1: You know who you are if I don't have a conference slip from you yet! Please return to me tomorrow!

I am short on time today because of the meet, so I am just listing the homework:

P. 1,4: Read chpts. 14 and 15 of The Mailbox. Write main ideas!

P. 5: Read chpt 9 of RC for Friday

P. 2,6: Read chpt 11 of RC for tomorrow

Thank you!

Greetings!

Period 1: Please remember your Student Led Conference slip that you received in the mail. It is due to me by Wednesday! Thanks!

Book Fair: All classes will be going on Thursday! Bring money to purchase books or other items.

For all classes, today was a day spent preparing and organizing for student- led conferences. Students reflected on ISTEP scores, Acuity Predicitive A, and SRI Reading level scores. These will all be shared by students at conferences. It took a lot of concentration and patience, and I appreciate your great attitudes and work ethic!

H/W: No new homework for tonight. P. 2,6: Remember your Wordmaster word tomorrow.

Later!

I hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful weekend weather!

Period 1: Please remember your Student Led Conference slip that you received in the mail. It is due to me by Wednesday! Thanks!

Book Fair: All classes will be going on Thursday! Bring money to purchase books or other items.

P. 1,4: Today students learned how to officially cite evidence using parenthetical citation. We did this using our written responses to chapter 12. Most of the writing for the rest of the year will be based on proving claims through evidence and explanation. We took out our article on PTSD and voted on the important vocabulary that connects with The Mailbox.
H/ W: Read chapter 13 in The Mailbox. It is an awesome chapter!! So many surprises!

P. 5 : We did a "musical chairs" type of activity to share our RC fiction/nonfiction maps and for student feedback. It was a great way to share the students' fantastic work!
H/W: Read chpt. 8 of RC

P. 2,6: We did a "musical chairs" type of activity to share our RC fiction/nonfiction maps and for student feedback. It was a great way to share the students' fantastic work! Wordmasters lists were handed out today, and everyone is responsible for a designated word on their Cobb Web. Please have that ready for Wednesday.
H/W: Read chpt 10 of RC

Thanks so much for a great day! You are good kids!

Happy Friday!

**The Book Fair will start next week. All classes were able to go today and "scan the scene" for books of interest. They were supposed to note prices so they know how much money they may want to bring when we go next week. It looks like we might go on Tues. I will let you know.

Today we had a guest teacher so I could participate in a lang. arts plan day. Thanks to all my classes for showing integrity, respect, and AIMing High! She had a great day, so get those Archer Cards ready. You are the best!

P.1, 4: Students answered written review questions for chpt. 12 of The Mailbox, and then they participated in a partner read for chpt. 13. They marked main idea at the end of each page. The story is getting suspenseful! After that, they went to the Book Fair.
H/W: Read chpt. 13 for TUES.

P. 2, 5, 6: Today was a quiz on the most recent RC chapters. After that, they began to partner read their next chapter. Then they a trip to the Book Fair.
H/W P. 5: Read chapter 8 for Tuesday
H/W P. 2,6: Finish chpt. 9 and read chpt. 10 for Tues.
Please remember your RC Island Maps- due Monday!

Enjoy your weekend! You have worked very hard this week.

Hello!

P. 1,4: We took a quick assessment on The Mailbox today, and then we revisited the PSTD article to pick vocab that connects to the book. We began chpt. 12 together...we're going to find out some interesting information!!

H/W: Read chpt. 12. Please interact with your text! Write notes and main ideas! Ask questions as you read!

P. 2,5,6: Reviewed reading from last night and revisited the nonfiction/fiction island activity. In groups students answered questions about the relevancy of the articles and how they enhanced the story.

H/W: P. 5:  Finish chpt 7, and there is a short assessment on chpt. 7 tomorrow. You will be allowed to use your book.

H/W: P. 2,6: Read to page 156 of chpt. 9. short assessment on chpts. 7,8 tomorrow. You will be allowed to use your book.

Bye!

Greetings!

P. 1, 4: We reviewed out figurative lang. examples today...some great analysis going on in class today! Love the illustrations...:)  We also read a nonfiction article on PSTD and concluded Uncle Vernon had many (or most) of the symptoms. Now we understand his character traits and reactions a little better. Poor guy.
H/W: Read chpt 11. Don't forget to write main idea at the bottom of each page. There is a short quiz on chpts 9, 10, 11 tomorrow. This includes a few figurative language questions.

P. 2,5,6: Students had a choice today, and they could spend class time working on guiding questions and/or their fiction/nonfiction map. I have perfectionists in reference to map drawing! These are going to be fantastic, but remember I wouldn't judge you on your artistic ability because...well...you've seen my drawings.
H/W P. 2,6: Guiding questions for chpt. 7 due tomorrow
                    Read chpt. 8
                    Map due Monday (you may pass it in before that)

H/W P. 5: Guiding question for chpt 6 due tomorrow
                 Read chpt 7 to page to page 113 (through112)
                  Map due Monday (you may pass it in before that)

Happy Tuesday!

P. 1,4: Today we worked on figurative language from The Mailbox. The focus of this skill is on the analysis and interpretation of the figurative language and how it contributes to details about an event or character. Students have a template to use for analysis, and I modeled how to complete the fig lang analysis sheet in class.
H/W: I am giving a night off from reading for those of you who need to get caught up. Please complete the fig lang sheet with examples from the book. You need a simile, metaphor, personification, and then your own example about the story using hyperbole or onomatopoeia. Have fun with this and be descriptive in your interpretations!

P. 2,5,6: Today we worked on our fiction/nonfiction RC maps. Remember, you need 15 items of each. Please come tomorrow with your complete list of items for your map. You will be surprised at how cool your maps look when you're finished, and you will have a more clear picture of good 'ole RC's locations on the island.

H/W P. 5: Please come with your completed list of 15 nonfiction and 15 fiction items for your map. Also, please answer the guiding question for chapter 6. For evidence, you just need to cite the page # and paragraph; you don't need to quote the whole paragraph. No reading tonight.

H/W P. 2,6: Please come with your completed list of 15 nonfiction and 15 fiction items for your map. No reading tonight.

See you tomorrow!

Hello!

P. 1,4: Today we wrote a chapter summary for chapter 8 and discussed chapter 9. We are starting to see how the Vietnam War affected Uncle Vernon, even after 35 years. We are beginning to look closely at the figurative language the author uses, and we are analyzing what they author is saying about characters through these literary techniques.
H/W: Read chapter 10 and complete a figurative language analysis. Remember this includes the quote and page #, what is being compared, your interpretation, and an illustration.

P. 2, - Shared Poems of Apology today! Thanks to all of you who were so willing to share.

P. 5, 6: Discussed the last chapter read of RC, and then moved on to our fiction/nonfiction analysis with the Crusoe Island maps. Please make sure you have 15 nonfiction items (from the article) and 15 fiction (from the book). Get those colored pencils sharpened for class tomorrow!

H/W: P 2,6: Read chpt 7 of RC. If you did not finish the guiding question for chpt. 6, please finish that for class tomorrow.

H/W: P. 5: Finish chpt 6 of RC.

Enjoy your evening! See you tomorrow.

Ready for the weekend...it has been a great week!

Today was spent sharing our Poems of Apology with our peers. Students noticed how much figurative language and imagery shows the reader the story rather than just telling a narrative. It sure feels different to read your writing aloud when the audience is expanded! Thanks to my brave souls (all of you) who didn't hesitate to show your personal, emotional selves.

Period 2: A special thanks to you for being so willing  to fulfill Mrs. Harper's request. Your thoughtful feedback will be very much appreciated by her!

H/W: P 1,4: Read Mailbox chpts. 8 and 9. Write main idea on each page. Pick out the best example of figurative language to analyze on Monday.

H/W: P. 5: Read RC through pg. 95 of chpt. 6 for Monday

H/W: P. 2,6: Read chpt. 6 for Monday. Guiding question will be done in class.

Thanks! Enjoy the weekend!

Hi everyone,

P. 1,4: Today we wrote summaries for chpts. 6, 7 of The Mailbox. This is still a work in progress because there is so much we think is important! We went to the IMC to continue reading and check out books. We will start to analyze figurative language, point of view, and important vocab in the story. We will also be reading a nonfiction article about PTSD...so relevant to our novel.
H/W: Read chpts. 8 and 9 for Monday. Highlight a fantastic piece of figurative language to analyze on Monday.

P. 2, 5, 6: We wrote a response to how RC's values and beliefs are changing. Went ti IMC. Went to computer lab to review nonfiction articles about Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile. We will combine the nonfiction information with the fiction information and make a map of the island with both features. Cool!
H/W: P. 5- finish chpt 5 tonight. Write in those books!
          P. 2,6: Please note that chpt 6 will be due Monday.

Have a good night!

Hi there!

Today was a novel assessment for all classes. It appears as though students really know their "stuff" when it comes to the novels we're reading. Fantastic job!

H/W P 1,4: Read chapters 6 and 7 of The Mailbox. I am thrilled when I see all of my students reading with a pencil in their hands!

P. 2,6: Read the remainder of chpt 5 for RC. No guiding question until tomorrow.

P. 5: Read through page 67 (chpt. 5) of RC. No guiding question.

See you later!

Hello!

Students will come home today with information about the cookie dough fundraiser. Yum.

P. 1,4: After reviewing chpt. 5 of The Mailbox, students wrote their own chapter summaries. We have had a lot of practice with main idea and summarizing, so they didn't seem to have much difficulty! We discussed what "moves the plot" in this story, and we learned characterization with a "Who Said That?" activity. This was all preparation for the quiz tomorrow.
H/W: Quiz on chpts. 1-4 tomorrow of The Mailbox. For the quiz, review the main ideas of each chapter and your summary sheet. Know how the main characters have changed. Understand the personality of each character, their particular dialects (they way they speak), and the connections the characters have to each other. Understand terms such as: social worker, prosthesis, foster child, foster parent, veteran.

P. 2,5,6: We reviewed RC chpt 4 main ideas, and discussed the changing main character and how his actions relate to Power of the Mind. Students answered Timeline question 4, and realized it was actually three questions! I have started teaching how to cite evidence, and this will continue when I introduce parenthetical citations. We also analyzed an excerpt by completing a literature analysis web. Quiz tomorrow will be bsed on chapter main ideas, summaries, and Timeline questions. Understand character traits and relationships. Understand how "vicissitudes" play a role in Crusoe's life and how his decisions often lead to disaster.
H/W: Period 5: No reading tonight. Review for quiz
         Periods 2,6: Read chpt 5 to page 68 only. Review for quiz

Thank you! See you tomorrow for the quiz!