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!