Friday!

To all and students: ISTEP scores are here! You should have received information about how to log in to get them. Some people have had trouble getting in, but I think it is only because the site is busy. Try again!

A reminder to check HAC! You might have missing work that I have talked to you about, but it is still missing...   No late work will be accepted after Monday.

P. 1,4: Students did a wonderful job peer editing Barefoot Bandit Argument writing today! Wow! Letters will be written on Monday. After that, we finished watching The Mighty. We started this after Amish Acres, but we weren't able to finish it. Some of you read the book, Freak the Mighty,  but now everyone has to! Good summer reading!

P 2, 5, 6: Students went to the LGI today for a Pied Piper advertisement scavenger hunt so they could view the creative ads from other classes, and yes, we did see some cute rats! After that, students finished watching The Mighty. I hope you feel inspired to read Freak the Mighty!

Enjoy the wonderful weekend!!

Thursday already?!

For Spell Bowlers: Here is the link to the list for 2014! Start studying now! As some of you know, there will be a different coach next year. As of now, I am not sure who it will be. I have become involved in some other school-related ventures, so I am not able to also take on Spell Bowl this year. I will miss my amazing, fun, dedicated team members...each and every one of you.

I wanted to get you started anyway, so get busy with that list!

http://www.iasp.org/OLD%20Congdon%20Folders/iace/pdf/SpellWordListJunior.pdf

P. 1,4: Today we continued with our scary suspense stories by listening to the 1940's play "The Hitchhiker." I found the original Orson Welles radio version, complete with sound effects, so we had a blast listening, reading along, and letting our imaginations get carried away! We discussed elements of suspense from "In the Fog," and we will compare those to today's story.

H/W: Come in tomorrow with your three paragraphs for Barefoot Bandit that are ready for revising.

P. 2,5,6: Students continued with their analysis of the Gettysburg Address. After reviewing vocab, we read a nonfiction play, "In the Fog," which has interesting ties to Gettysburg. Thank you actors...especially those jazzed things up with their accents!

H/W: Hmmm...I have some students who owe me late work. Tomorrow is the final day that I will accept anything late (except for illness). I need time to grade it, so tomorrow is the last day. Check HAC!!

See you tomorrow!

Hello!

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful long weekend!

We had a wonderful field trip last Friday! Thank you for your outstanding behavior and polite attitudes. It was interesting to talk today about how the Tom Sawyer play compared with the book and what your expectations were for lunch. The meal was delicious, as always! It was so much fun to see students enjoying a care-free day.

If you have not finished your Performance Task, please make sure you see me!

Back to work today...a tough adjustment for some of us!
P. 1,4: Students are taking their unpacked argument quotes and transforming them into paragraphs. You should be using your transition word list. Please make sure you have all three unpacked quotes written as paragraphs tomorrow.

P. 2,5,6: Today students passed in their culture novel t-charts and Pied Piper advertisements. We dove into the Gettysburg Address and are now analyzing it as a persuasive document. Students are working with partners to pick out specific examples of persuasive techniques. Short, but mighty!

No homework.

See you tomorrow!

Field trip tomorrow!!

We are getting excited! I went over key points about the trip with students today. Some things I covered:

• cell phones and electronics to be left in lockers!
• school attire, please
• no need to bring money, gift shop is closed
• manners, manners, manners
• We leave at 10 and return about 2:30
• students may sit with friends at lunch, no assigned tables

It is always a great time. I think the kids are really ready for a day of relaxation...it has been an overwhelming week for them.

P. 2,5,6: Pied Piper Advertisement and culture t- chart due Tues. Many of you have already passed in your advertisement.

Thank you for your good listening skills today. Andrea, thanks for sharing such interesting information with p. 6 !

See you tomorrow!! YAY!

Hello!

Today all students finished their Performance Tasks. If you were absent, please see me about discussing a time and place to make up the work. Because it involves a video, I will need to make up the absences at the same time. I would rather you don't miss two classes to do the PT, so it looks like we may have to do it before or after school or during 2-3 lunch periods.

Amish Acres is coming up soon...on Friday! No electronics or cell phones are allowed for the students; we have 20 adults going who will all have cell phones in case of an emergency.

P. 2,5,6: Novel T- charts due Tues. May 27. Pied Piper advertisements due tomorrow.

See you tomorrow!

Hi there!

Today all classes took the Performance Task for LA. Thank you for working so hard on this assessment! I hope you found it to be consistent with what we have been doing all year.

Remember that the filed trip is Friday! You won't need anything for school that day. No electronics allowed on the field trip.

H/W: P. 2,5,6: Your Pied Piper advertisement is due Thurs. Print out at home if you want it to be in color, please. If you were absent from p. 5 yesterday, please see yesterday's blog for instructions. Culture novel t-chart due Tues.

See you tomorrow!

Hello!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! What great weather!

All students will take the LA Performance Task tomorrow. Please come to class well-rested, well-fed, and bring a sharpened pencil! This sin't an assessment you can study for, but I think you will be familiar with the tasks it asks you to perform.

P. 1,4: Today students worked on the argument writing piece. They "unpacked" all of their quotes and are now getting ready to strengthen their arguments. If you didn't finish unpacking all the quotes, please do that for Wed. On Wed., we are going to hit the ground running with peer conferencing and strengthening our claims!

P. 2,5,6: Well...I laughed a lot today! Students went to the computer lab to create print advertisements for the services of The Pied Piper, and we have some persuasive ads!! Those poor rats! Poor children! The ads had to include ethos, pathos, and logos and have references to the poem. If you and you partner didn't finish, please finish and pass in to me on Thurs. If you were out period 5 or absent, please do the following:
- Create a print advertisement for the services of The Pied Piper (a few ideas...extermination, babysitting or music lessons)
-You may do it individually or with a partner
- Create it using googledocs drawing. You may use any free clip art site to import pictures
- Your advertisement must show ethos, pathos, and logos
- Remember to keep text to a minimum. Images are important, and you may use captions or speech bubbles.
   Make your text count! Only write what is important.
-If you want to print it in color, you will have to print at home. Otherwise, you can print at school and use colored pencils to add color. Have fun with it! No violence or weapons, please.

Here is the link to the Pied Piper video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkYRGlKzAvY

Have a great evening!

Hello!

Thank you for getting your field trip papers and money in on time. I appreciate your help on that!

All classes today took the SRI Reading Inventory. What tremendous progress 6th graders have made this year! Please remember that a lexile score is just a "snapshot" of who you are as a reader - it does not paint the entire picture. It is just another tool that help you and me guide your reading choices. I am so happy to see that your hard work has paid off!

H/w: p. 2, 5, 6: Don't forget culture novel and t-chart due May 27th!

Hello!

Tomorrow is the last day for the Amish Acres field trip money and permission slips! Please remember to bring it! the cost is $18.50, and if you lost the blue slip have a parent write a note giving permission. 

Tomorrow all classes will be taking the SRI Reading Inventory in the computer lab. This will be a tool to help you monitor your reading lexile level.

P. 1,4: After acting out tom Sawyer :), students continued with writing to find their strongest evidence. This evidence should solidly support their opinion of the Barefoot Bandit's future. For those of you that wanted another look at the videos, here are the links:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cQpkUf3fyrw (long video)  
http://www.kmvt.com/news/latest/The-Barefoot-Bandit-Strikes-Again-249084771.html (animal donation)

P. 2,5: We had to have a long discussion today about the "way too low" scores on the Declaration of Independence assessment. After looking over the quiz, I asked students for complete honesty (which I very much appreciate) and tell me if they studied. It was a sorry sight. Very few, and in one class only four, students raised their hands. This is no time to slack off. I reminded them that at DMS we work right up until the last day of school. For this reason, there will not be a retake. Sometimes consequences hurt. This was a "critical thinking" assessment, and if you didn't practice the skills, you didn't have the foundation you needed.
Some students, however, rocked the assessment...good for you!

H/W: Culture novel and t-chart due May 27.

See you tomorrow!

Hello!

We are down to the last two days of collecting money for Amish Acres! Please bring your money, blue slip, and yellow slip either tomorrow or Thursday. I am nervous...so many slips not turned in yet. Thursday is your last day!!

Thank you for your respectful behavior with our guest teacher this afternoon while I attended a meeting.

P. 1,4: Students gathered more evidence from an article for forming an opinion on the Barefoot Bandit. They marked the author's name from the article or video where they found their evidence. Today they decided what their opinion is (determined by their evidence), and they they highlighted their three strongest pieces of evidence. We also continued with Tom Sawyer...getting ready for the play!
H/W: Come tomorrow with your three strongest pieces of evidence highlighted for Barefoot Bandit!

P. 2,5,6: Today was the assessment for the Declaration of Independence. It really wasn't about the document itself but more about the persuasive techniques used in the document. It took most of the period. After that, students had time to read their culture novels and start their t-chart.
So, here is the deal with the t-chart: Just like before, make a t-chart and write "evidence" on one side and "explanation" on the other. When you come across something cultural in the novel that you think mainstream America would find difficult to accept, that's when you write it as evidence. Then, explain why Americans would not accept it (in your own words). The idea here is that we don't accept what we don't understand, right? That's when we create stereotypes and make negative generalizations.

H/W: Novel t-chart due May 27.

Have a great evening!

Hello!

Remember: All Amish Acres permission slips and money due by this Thursday, May 15!!

P. 1,4: Today we began a pilot of a new writing program PHM will be adopting next year. We have been working on Barefoot Bandit materials, so I am working that into the writing curriculum. Today was all about gathering evidence from various articles and attaching that to the informational videos. We also continued with Tom Sawyer.

P. 2,5,6: Today students prepared for the Declaration of Independence assessment by taking a closer look at ethos, pathos, logos. We viewed relevant commercials and then discussed how we saw these persuasive techniques being used in the DOI. For the assessment, go over your notes on pg. 83 of you Persuasion book and rewrite the important point of each section into your study guide.
H/W: DOI assessment tomorrow.

See you tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Remember: Amish Acres slips and money due this Thursday!

P. 1,4: We finally watched the Barefoot Bandit video! Here is the link for those who were absent or want to see it again: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cQpkUf3fyrw    Students made a T-chart and recorded information from the video and article to lead them to an opinion: Is the Barefoot Bandit destined to be a criminal for life, or is he the result of a poor upbringing and he will get help to turn his life around? We also continued with Tom Sawyer. Let's pick the important scenes and perform some skits!
No h/w

P. 2,5,6: After Tom Sawyer, we further explored the persuasive elements of the Declaration of Independence. The goal here isn't to know the Declaration inside and out, but to understand the elements that make it a persuasive document ( for example,ethos, pathos, logos). Good job diggin' in there!
H/W: Assessment on DOI Tues. Know your study guide, and practice the vocab. on studystack.com- search DMS DOI NASH.

Give your mom a hug on Sunday! Tell her how great she is! Thank her for all she does!

Hello there!

Don't forget field trip money due by next Thursday, May 15!

P. 1,4: If you were absent, please go ahead and finish your questions for "Barefoot Bandit." This would be questions 1, 2, and 3. If you didn't have time to finish them in class, please come to class with those completed.

P. 2, 5, 6: In the Dec. of Independence, we summarized the grievances and translated them into modern language. This helped us understand the tone of the document and the need for it. A study guide was handed out for the quiz on Tues. I will give you time to work on that tomorrow.

• To study Dec. of Indep. vocab, go to studystack.com and search DMS DOI NASH

Have a good evening!

Wednesday already!

Please remember Amish Acres blue slip, yellow slip and money due by May 15!

P. 1,4: We started reading Tom Sawyer today to get us primed for the field trip! Then we continued the skill of writing evidence from nonfiction text with "The Barefoot Bandit." Students, you know this...don't lose confidence! Remember CEE? You got this, right?
We are pondering if Harris Colton-Moore is just a "rascal" or a criminal, and we also wonder if he is courageous (as some people think). The video we watched today played tricks with our hearts...did it change your mind about him? Just wait until you see tomorrow's video!

H/W: Field trip money due May 15. Complete question #2 of Barefoot Bandit if you didn't finish it in class...for a grade.

P. 2,5,6: After reading Tom Sawyer,  we returned to The Declaration of Independence and students shared the main points of what they found in the 5 sections of the document. Now they have a strong foundation of the organization of Jefferson's thoughts. Tomorrow we will dig deep and agree/disagree on the persuasive elements that changed the government of the colonies. There are SO MANY persuasive literary elements that Jefferson and his group snuck in there!

H/W: Just remember your Amish Acres field trip slips and money!

See you tomorrow!

Hello Everyone!

I was out yesterday and would like to thank all my students for their respectful behavior towards my guest teacher. Now she knows why we are the 50th best middle school in the nation! Thank you, 6th graders!

Amish Acres: A reminder that permission slip, money, and waiver is due May 15. Thanks!

P. 1,4: Today we continued with the "Barefoot Bandit" article and working to answer the question: Is Colton Harris-Moore courageous? Does he deserve a place in our Courageous Characters unit? Rascal or Criminal? This is a practice Performance Task to prepare students for the corporation performance task on May 20.

• H/W: Amish Acres permission slip, waiver, money
• Complete question #1 for "Barefoot Bandit"

P. 2,5,6: Students continued with their vocabulary analysis of the essential words for Declaration of Independence. They are doing this in pairs and then presenting their findings to the class. This will be part of a historical document study in which they conclude which document is the most persuasive: Gettysburg Address, Declaration of Independence, or I Have a Dream.

• H/W: Amish Acres permission slip, waiver, money
• Read the Declaration of Independence and try to decipher and label the introduction, preamble, list of grievances, the concern of no redress, and conclusion

See you tomorrow!

Hello!

ISTEP testing for language arts ended today! Thank you for your focus and serious demeanor during testing. ISTEP has become a high-stakes test, so I was glad to see students reading carefully and trying their best.

A reminder that permission slip, waiver, and money for Amish Acres is due May 15. We are all looking forward to a carefree, fun day!

H/W: P. 2, 5, 6: Culture novel responses due tomorrow. You will have the class period to work on them.

H/W P. 1, 4: Keep reading a great book! Go to lexile.com and find a book in your lexile range. If you are not sure what your lexile is, ask me!

Enjoy the rest of your day!