Happy Thanksgiving!

Ms. Burnette spoke to all classes today about "Overdrive," our new program for reading ebooks at no cost to the student. All students have information for signing up to use it. You can access Overdrive thorugh the PHM website or got to http://penn.lib.overdrive.com. This is an amazing opportunity for students to have the easiest possible access to books! We are so fortunate to be able to use the same program as our public libraries.

P. 1,4: Students reviewed author's purpose for their novel by finding evidence in the author's biography to support their purpose. This was a partner activity that was challenging! Nonfiction textual evidence continues to be a focus that takes practice to master, and we keep practicing! I am starting to see great progress.

P. 2,5,6: We read a Rod Serling teleplay "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" to connect with the Emily Dickinson poem about "the majority." Thank you, voice actors! We will continue to compare these genres after break.

No homework for any classes...enjoy your time with family and friends :)

Happy Tuesday!

P. 1,4: Today we finished the performance task, and then read about the authors of our novels. We did this to determine author's purpose for writing their novels and to find evidence of that purpose. Students worked in pairs. We have found that most of the time authors have a personal connection to their topic.
H/W: Read and annotate chpt 10, 11 for both novels.

P. 2,5,6: Finished performance tasks, and then we reviewed the answers for the Wordmaster analogy practice (periods 2,6). After that, we analyzed a poem by Emily Dickinson related to a very different kind of Power of the Mind - "mob mentality." Tomorrow students will group read a play by Rod Serling on the same topic. If you are going to be absent, please read the play at this link: http://www.jefftwp.org/middleschool/CoreTeams/LA/Required_reading/MDMS.pdf

H/W: P. 5 - Red Glass chpt. 8
         P. 2,6: analogy sheet E due tomorrow (all of front and back)

See you tomorrow!

TGIF!

P. 1,4: Today all students finished their Author's Purpose paragraph using claim, evidence, and explanation. This was based upon the author's purpose for the nonfiction article "Asperger's Disorder" in relation to our novel. It took some digging, but we got there!
No h/w

P. 2,5,6: We had another day in the computer lab to work on the Claim/Evidence based writing for "Invictus." This is ambitious writing, but I am so pleased with the work students have produced. Papers will be regraded by students highlighting which part of the paper they want me to regrade. You're getting there, kids!
H/W: p. 2,6: Analogy practice (all of both sides) due Tues. All revised papers due Monday - either on Goggledocs or you may hand it in.

Enjoy your weekend!

Hi there!

P. 1,4: We went to the computer lab today to start working on Acuity skills that need to be strengthened. Students started a log to keep track of their assignments and scores. This will eventually be part of their homework, but I wanted to make sure everyone was familiar with how it works.
H/W: Rules - read chpts 6 and 7. Remember to annotate and write main idea
         Freak the Mighty - chpts 5 and 6

P. 2, 5, 6: Students continued with their writing piece: Claim writing supported by evidence and explanation. The writing is based upon watching the "Invictus" movie clip and analyzing the poem. This type of writing is a big challenge for 6th graders, and it is a work in progress. :)  We went to the computer lab so that all students could type on Googledocs. I will meet with anyone who needs help during lunch tomorrow; bring your lunch to save time.
H/W: Analogy practice sheet due Tues. Work on your writing!

See you tomorrow!

Hello!

P. 1, 4: Today we read another nonfiction article to go with our rules novel study about a family struggling to keep things "normal" when they have a child with autism. Yesterday students annotated an article about autism, and today they annotated an article about Asperger's Syndrome. Now they have a great deal of background knowledge to apply to the novel!
H/W: Rules and Freak the Mighty - read and annotate chpts. 3, 4. Write main ideas.

P. 2,5,6: The focus after the Wordmaster quiz today was writing. Students are to work on the revisions for their "Invictus" papers and include more details related to Power of the Mind. Please work on taking out the parts of your paper that specifically need revisions first, and I will check those. Don't rewrite your whole paper...it doesn't work that way. This takes time, but it is well worth it!
H/W: P. 5 Red Glass chpts. 2,3

Have a good evening!

Short on time today...just homework will be posted:

P. 1,4: In Rules read chpt 2 and 3. Text code, annotate and write main idea at end of each chapter.
           Freak the Mighty: you decided on your reading assignment. Do the same text coding and main idea

P. 5: Begin Red Glass. 

P. 2,6: Wordmaster quiz tomorrow - words 12-25

See you tomorrow!

We made it through Monday!

P. 1,4: We revisited "theme" and connected it to The Mailbox by providing evidence to support the chosen theme. Our novel study has officially begun, and today students taped annotation symbols in their novels to use as they read. We began annotating chpt. 1 together.
H/W: Read and annotate chpt 1 of Rules and chpts. 1 and 2 of Freak the Mighty. At the end of each chapter, please write the main idea including who, what, when, where, why.

P. 2,5,6: All students wrote and shared what they though was the theme of the Shadow Dancing video, and they also used evidence from the video for support. We analyzed the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling and shared guiding question responses in an informal Socratic setting. Did you figure out which ones are displayed at the Wimbledon entrance?
H/W: P 2,5 - Wordmasters quiz on words 12-25

Enjoy your evening!

TGIF!!

Thank you for your Food Drive contributions!

P. 1,4: After Friday Read, a quiz on homophones and commonly misspelled words was given. It looks like the students have really learned by slowing down and paying attention to their word choices when writing! After that, we explored "Theme" by viewing a Power Point presentation and discussing the 12 common themes in literature. I showed a beautiful, poignant shadow dance video (thank you, Ali Moore!) related to our Veterans unit, and we discussed possible themes of the video. You can't watch it just once...here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8s97NiC2Ys.

P. 2,5,6: Today I introduced theme with a Power Point presentation, and then students shared in pairs what they thought were the strongest themes in RC. This was taken from a list of the most common themes in literature. We continued investigating theme by watching a "Shadow Dance" from X Factor. Students supported the theme by identifying details from the dance. We concluded that theme is in art forms and music as well as literature. Here is a link to the poignant video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8s97NiC2Ys
P. 6: Thank you for the fun, yummy pizza party you earned from your box top donations!
H/W: Wordmasters quiz on 12-25 next Wed.

Enjoy your weekend! Send positive thoughts to my Spell Bowl team going to state!

Hello!

Let's make the final day for the Canned Food Drive count!

P. 1,4: Students were busy writing the final draft for the summary paper using main ideas and transitions. What an improvement from where they started! They are realizing how misspellings can affect the content of their writing. They also practiced homophones and easily-confused words. New novels were distributed today! We will have two novel studies being run at the same time (for differentiation), but the same skills will be taught for both.
H/W: Quiz tomorrow on their, there, they're and lose, loss, loose

P. 2,5,6: "Isolation" Problem-Based Learning presentations were done today! Excellent! The focus was on presenting the steps involved in working towards the solution, which is a difficult concept for 6th grade.("Really? We just can't do a fun skit"?) It was exciting to see them working hard and attaining goals in such a short preparation time period.
H/W: Write a reflection on your group work: 1) What did you learn about trying to solve a problem with a group of your peers? 2) Was there equal participation with everyone in your group? Yes, I want you to mention specific names.

Thank you another great day at DMS!

Greetings!

Two more days to collect for the Canned Food Drive! Please show your support!

P. 1,4: We continued today with practice deciphering homophones. Then we continued taking the main ideas of a non-fiction article and writing them as summary with transition words. The skill is starting to click, and students are making progress. I must emphasize again the importance of having someone read your writing aloud to you; it always sounds different than what you think. Maybe it will even sound better!
H/W: Quiz Friday on "there, their, they're" and " loss, lose, loose."

P. 2,5,6:
P. 2,6 had their first WordMaster quiz. Don't forget to also familiarize yourself with variations of the word, such as "indulgant" or "indulgance" for "indulge."
P. 2,5,6: All classes worked in their Problem -Based learning project with the topic of "Isolation." Presentations will be tomorrow...no longer than two minutes, please. :) I will tape the presentations, and then you can evaluate how wonderful you were!

Have a wonderful evening!

Hello!

Please remember your canned food!

Spell Bowl Team: Practice tomorrow is cancelled. I will see you Thursday!

P. 1,4: Today we worked on writing a summary from the main ideas of the Veterans article. Our focus was connecting main ideas with transitions. These can be tricky! We also reviewed our homophone words with examples.
H/W: Assessment on homophones on Friday.

P. 2,5,6: We reviewed the 5 major scenes of RC and will look at those again when it's time for writing the scripts. Students continued with their Problem Based Learning activity and presentation.
H/W P 2,6: Wordmaster quiz tomorrow on words 1-11. If you don't have the words, they are in yesterday's blog.

Thanks for a great day!

Hello! Looking like snow outside...

Canned Food Drive continues this week. Please bring in your donation!

P. 1,4: We are starting a unit on Homophones this week due to low acuity performance in this area. Lessons will be mini lessons at the beginning of class. Today was learned the usual suspects - their, there, they're. Expect quizzes on word groupings every few days. Students also explored the plot line of The Mailbox so that we can move on to identifying theme. After that, they wrote a summary of a nonfiction article after they identified the main ideas. It's hard to get your brain jump-started after a weekend!
H/W: Independent Reading

P. 2,5,6: In periods 2 and 6 we made Word Families for the Wordmaster words with common definitions. In all three classes students worked on the Problem Based Learning activity of Isolation in their groups. Period 5 met in groups to narrow down the 5 major scenes in RC for an upcoming skit.
H/W P. 2, 5, 6: List the 5 major scenes in RC. Write a sentence after each one that describes its importance to a major event. If it doesn't link to another major event, it is not a pivotal scene.

P. 2,6: Wordmaster quiz on Wed. on words 1-11. The words are: tremor, glean, discreet, blitz, supplant, vain, prig, digress, overbearing, sprint, indulge.

See you tomorrow!

Ready for a wonderful weekend? Of course you are!

Canned Food Drive continues through next week. Let's remember to serve those who need our help.

P. 1,4: What a great feeling to hang up our honored Fallen Soldiers memorial. A special thank-you to Ryan for bringing in flowers, and also a big thank-you to Grace and Isabella for making a banner for our display. I also appreciate the respectful tone of my classes as we worked on this project. We annotated and text coded an article about the ongoing problem of homeless veterans; students were shocked to learn that on any given night there are 76,000 homeless veterans.
H/W: Snuggle up with your independent reading book!

P. 2,5:  To further explore the theme of Isolation related to RC, we are starting a problem-based learning project about isolation in our society. To kick it off, students watched an excerpt from The Color of Friendship, a movie about apartheid. A quick-write and discussion followed, and students were asked to use Wordmaster words in their responses...good job! Groups met and brainstormed examples of Isolation in our society today.
H/W: Over the weekend, ponder the five most important scenes of RC to prepare for a skit summary!

See you Monday!

Greetings on this pretty fall day,

Canned Food Drive continues through next week!

P. 1,4: Today students experimented with changing author's Point of View; it's one skill to be able to identify it, but it's another skill to write it! After that, students finished their soldier's memorial. They made a rubbing with the soldier's name, and then glued the summary of the soldier's combat history. We will be displaying these for Veterans' Day, so feel free to bring in flowers (real or plastic) or anything else to honor their memory. It is quite overwhelming to see all the young names and faces.
H/W: You should be into a good book for reading!

P. 2,6: After working with Point of View (changing narration), we reviewed Wordmasters to make sure we were all  on the same page with the parts of speech and definitions. This took some time, and after that students sorted the words into categories, and this will lead them into making word families. Once they get the definitions understood, we will study the 16 different types of analogies...yikes!
H/W: Start to study your Wordmasters. You can expect many quizzes, and we will begin those next week.

P. 5: Students completed their writing piece today comparing how varying media presentation affect their learning style. We read the end of RC and discussed what we think could be the possible themes for the book. "Theme" is a tough 6th grade concept, so we will continue to study it as we progress with power of the Mind. RC is a multi-themed novel!
H/W: No h/w for you tonight. :)

Have a good evening!

Hello on this dark day!

P. 1,4: A few of you (mainly p. 4) need to finish your Talking Heads tonight so they are ready for the Gallery Walk tomorrow. I am impressed with how far you progressed in a short amount of time!

P. 5: Please try to have your final draft of the Power of the Mind Learning Style in tomorrow. I know some of you may still need a peer edit, or you would like another one. That's to those who volunteered to edit today! We will read chpt. 14 RC together.

P. 2,6: Please pass in the final draft of the Power of the Mind Learning Style in tomorrow. I know some of you may still need a peer edit. Everyone should have their Wordmasters flashcards tomorrow!

Enjoy the Band concert tonight!

Hello! Please remember to donate to the Canned Food Drive this week and next week. Let's show our community what caring students we have here at DMS!

P. 1,4: Today we finished up our Talking Heads (p.1 only) and both classes went to the computer lab to research and gather information about a Fallen Soldier. Students searched web sites and gathered statistics. This will turn into an activity honoring Fallen Soldiers that will be displayed for Veterans' Day. We couldn't help but think of the veterans we learned about in The Mailbox. Students were surprised at the very young ages of most of out heroes.
H/W: For period 1, Talking Heads should be completed for tomorrow. Period 4, we will continue to work on them in class.

P. 2,5,6: Students worked on their writing piece today which focuses on writing a claim and proving it by using support. This was done by students writing about their specific learning style when reading/discussing "Invictus" and watching the video. I am going to start making a big deal about spelling! This was a very low score on acuity, and those were everyday words that were incorrectly identified. Spelling counts, always. Slow down, take your time, and think about your spelling. If a word doesn't look right, take the time to look it up and correct it. Pay attention, ok? Every student should have had a peer editor who graded your rubric.

H/W: P. 2,6: 1) Your final drafts should be ready for class tomorrow. You may type or write these. We will do a self grade and labeling in class tomorrow. 2) Please bring in your Wordmasters flashcards tomorrow.

P. 5: Chpt 14 RC for tomorrow. Your final "Invictus" drafts should be ready for class tomorrow. You may type or write these. We will do a self grade and labeling in class tomorrow.

Thank you for a great day!  :)

Hello!

Remember the Canned Food drive this week! Let's make a difference!

P. 1,4: Please finish your Talking Heads project tonight. Remember that you must show some pieces of evidence from the book and article on the face or outside the head. These are looking good (but the content is sad...poor Smitty and Vernon).

P. 5: Read chpt 14 RC for Wed.
P. 2,6: Go to studystack.com. Log in, and type "DMS Wordmasters 2013" and my name should come up. Click on "flashcards," and then click "print." Choose how you would like to print your words and definitions; choose a style where you can fit many on one page.

Have a good night!

Happy Friday!

Remember the Canned Food Drive next week, Period 1! Let's show our community that DMS students care and WILL make a difference!

Bring a book for Monday Read... a good book that interests you, so you make good use of your time.

P.1,4: Students took the Point of View narrative quiz today, and after that they continued with their Talking Heads project which compares fiction and nonfiction. We also visited the IMC to return and check out books.
H/W: Independent Reading

P. 2, 5, 6: Students in these classes took the Point of View Narrative quiz. After that they continued with their Socratic Seminar from yesterday because they had more to share! Awesome! Some students went to the IMC.
H/W: P. 2, 6: Go to studystack.com. Search for "DMS Wordmasters 2013" and print out flashcards with words and definitions.
P. 5: Chpt 13 RC for Monday. Be prepared to answer questions.

Enjoy your weekend eating candy :)