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Week of 9/16/19
MONDAY NWEA for language usage TUESDAY NWEA for language usage WEDNESDAY Skill-builder: new root words for aqua/hydro and hand out aquarium activity Lesson: Poetry vs Prose - understanding the difference using mentor texts THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus: make an inference about your main character Skill-builder: Aquarium activity and matching Lesson: Poetry vs Prose follow up activity - students choose an excerpt in prose and then write a poem about it. FRIDAY Warm-up: min their/there/they're assessment Skill-builder: simple sentences Lesson: There's No Place Like it and Death in the Afternoon - make logical inferences, cite text evidence, participate in classmate conversations. Week of 9/9/19 MONDAY Warm-up: students log into google classroom, read messages, and discuss the cause/effect writing assignment. Skill-builder: begin writing the constructed paragraph on a google doc. Lesson: Poetry pre-test TUESDAY Warm-up: hand out reading logs, discuss purpose, and then independent read Skill-builder: proof - there/they're/their Lesson: read aloud Tuning, by Gary Paulsen, while students listen and look for golden lines, phrases, and special words. Brainstorm summer topics and then do a quick-write in their spirals the way Gary Paulsen wrote his paper. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus: summary of their reading Skill-builder: grammar links Lesson: writing the stomp rocket cause/effect in google doc. THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus: finding a sentence with there/their/they're and doing the proof for it. Skill-builder: Simple sentences 1.1 Lesson: read The Limited poem together, looking for what makes a poem a poem. FRIDAY Warm-up: Simple sentences 1.2 Skill-builder: Greek/Latin roots pre-test Lesson: Greek & Latin PowerPoint presentation while students take notes. Week of 9/3/19 MONDAY Labor Day TUESDAY WELCOME BACK!!! Half day for students Introductions ELA expectations and routines WEDNESDAY Stomp rockets! I will explain the objective, model how to make a rocket, and then students will build their own. THURSDAY Launch rockets Draw the second rocket with one change and goal in mind (cause/effect for writing later) Make change to rocket and launch again, if time permits. FRIDAY Wrap up of launching rockets. Cause/effect writing introduction - Birds video clip with response Apply cause/effect knowledge to our stomp rockets; pre-writing of constructed paragraph Week of 6/3/19 MONDAY Share some of our year-long root word PowerPoints, as a review. Begin The Giver movie TUESDAY The Giver movie WEDNESDAY Finish The Giver movie Seeing Beyond activity THURSDAY Awards assembly FRIDAY Last day activities Week of 5/27/19 MONDAY Memorial Day - no school TUESDAY Skill-builder: practice for circ words Lesson: Chapters 20-21 WEDNESDAY Skill-Builder: last chance for invasive species writing, memoir slide, poetry review Lesson: Finish The Giver!!!! THURSDAY Skill-builder: add 4 root words with one word each: fort/bio/hypo/duct; go over year-long PowerPoints on root words to review! Lesson: Poetry post-test FRIDAY Lesson: Train Ride writing activity Week of 5/20/19 MONDAY Warm-up: Grammar Castle Skill-builder: finish Invasive Species informative constructed response Lesson: Listen to Lois Lowry and answer questions TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: new root words circ/circum Lesson: review chapters with quickwrite, read through 13 WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: make new slide for circ/circum Lesson: listen to Ch. 14-15 THURSDAY Skill-builder: circ/circum practice Lesson: Read Ch. 16-17 FRIDAY - half day for students Skill-builder: hand out and go over The Giver packet Lesson: read Ch. 18-19 Week of 5/13/19 MONDAY Lesson: begin The Giver novel TUESDAY - shortened schedule due to band students gone in pm Catch-up: Invasive Species constructed response, Found Poem, Reading Log WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: "hyper" root word practice Lesson: read The Giver and work on questions/vocabulary from chapters 1-5 THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: assessment over "hyper" words Lesson: listen to The Giver FRIDAY Warm-up: Nisa Kessler and Val Myerson here for summer reading opportunities Skill-builder: assessment over "hyper" words Lesson: Read chapters 9/10 on our own Week of 5/6/19 MONDAY Warm-up: grammar links Lesson: Continue with Invasive Species constructed response TUESDAY - block with 1st and 5th hours Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builders: proof - paragraph overhaul new root words for "hypo" Lesson: Poetry: students read 3 poems with a similar theme and then create a "Found Poem" based on their analysis and notes. WEDNESDAY - block with 2nd & 6th Same as yesterday, with different hours THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: Lesson: Pre-reading activities for The Giver FRIDAY Lesson: finish pre-reading activities for The Giver writing: What do you want to be like when you're an adult? Week of 4/29/19 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: bear crawl scene - never give up Skill-builder: Kahoot TUESDAY M-Step ELA for 1st and 5th hours - block schedule WEDNESDAY M-Step ELA for 2nd and 6th hours - block schedule THURSDAY Each class gets an hour to finish up with their M-Step assessment FRIDAY Week of 4/22/19 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: apostrophes Skill-builder: create a crossword puzzle for our inter root words. Lesson: finish the Newsela writing response and quiz and take the online Ecological Footprint quiz TUESDAY - guest speaker during 1st hour and then slightly shortened classes Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is the genre of your story and how do you know this? Could your characters exist in real life? Skill-builder: proof - AAAWWUBification WEDNESDAY Skill-builder: appositives, AAAWWUBBIS review Lesson: Invasive Species informative writing - students meet with an "expert" from different species and each take a turn to share their information while everyone takes notes in their chart. They will then go back to their "expert" group and share what they learned. THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - Find a sentence with an AAAWWUBBIS in it and write it down. Skill-builder: Lesson: Invasive Species unit - writing a constructed response as an informational piece. FRIDAY Warm-up: FANBOYS/AAAWWUBBIS assessment Skill-builder: type of writing review using prezi -students take notes Week of 4/15/19 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: indefinite pronoun review - video and online practice Skill-builder: add inter root words to PP Lesson: Newsela - students read an article and write a constructed response about the central idea with text support TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is the setting of the story? Be descriptive. Skill-builder: proof - colon usage Lesson: connotation and denotation (tie into diction, word choice, author's tone, etc). I will use a Prezi to help explain and then we will practice in groups. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - after I go over different reasons why we read, students will choose the one that makes the most sense to them. Skill-builder: inter root words activity/practice Lesson: Begin informative writing unit (Invasive Species). I will use an article on Camels in Australia as a mentor text to model how to read with a question in mind. Then, students will choose one invasive species to "become an expert on" so that they can share with a small group. THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - Why did the author write this story? Was the author's purpose to persuade, inform, entertain, get you thinking? Skill-builder: connotation/denotation individual practice Lesson: continue invasive species unit FRIDAY Warm-up: singular possessive nouns and plural possessive nouns Skill-builder: MadLib partner work Week of 4/8/19 MONDAY Warm-up: go over indefinite pronouns homework from Friday; grammar links (simple/compound/complex sentences) Skill-builder: add anthro/hum words to PP Lesson: hand back argumentative essay, read comments, and fix as necessary TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - sentences with indefinite pronouns Skill-builder: proof - punctuating dialogue Lesson: continue with sonnets - looking at 2 sonnets and proving whether or not they are actually sonnets WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - make an inference about your main character Skill-builder: assessment over anthro/hum words Lesson: What is a ballad? What is a narrative poem? Begin reading The Highway Man narrative poem THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - making predictions Skill-builder: new root words for inter Lesson: finish lesson on The Highway Man FRIDAY Warm-up: video journal and response Skill-builder: grammar - pronoun shifts Lesson: reading skill - reading with a question in mind Week of 4/2/19 MONDAY Spring Break. TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - new reading log for 4th marking period Skill-builder: pass back work, including argumentative essays. Go over comments and possible re-do work. Lesson: Poetry skill builders on allusions in literature - presentation, group practice, individual practice WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is something you've learned about your character that you didn't know before? Lesson: root word practice - breaking down word parts THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - what keeps you reading this book? What is it that you like? Skill-builder: informational reading practice about Shakespeare Lesson: prezi/notes on sonnets FRIDAY Warm-up: what is "diction" and what are the different types? Skill-builder: grammar practice - indefinite pronouns Lesson: pre-reading activities and then read, "One's Name is Mud" from lit book. Questions afterward. Week of 3/18/19 MONDAY Warm-up: grammar links Lesson: writing a conclusion and putting it all together with transition words. TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - noticing the author's style of your novel. Skill-builder: I have . . . , who has . . . ? - antonyms Lesson: poetry skill builders on alliteration - together as a class, on their own, share WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Lesson: Poetry skill builders on allusions in literature - prezi, practice THURSDAY New root words, check synonym string End of Winter Olympics in the pm FRIDAY - half day Spring Break!!!! :) Week of 3/11/19 MONDAY Warm-up: style review and follow up mini assessment Skill-builder: fact/opinion class activity Lesson: analyzing an argument TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is the genre of your novel and how do you know that? Skill-builder: proof - apostrophes in possessives Lesson: poetry - tone/mood WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - find two examples of apostrophe possessives and do a proof Skill-builder: root word practice for sent/cred Lesson: Begin typing your argumentative paper THURSDAY Warm-up: synonym string Lesson: putting your argumentative paper together FRIDAY - half day Poetry - Limericks Week of 3/4/19 MONDAY Drug Education - Sierra Hilt is the guest speaker for this program and will be leading the class. TUESDAY Warm-up: grammar links - possessives 2, possessives 3, FANBOYS Skill-builder: new root words for cred/creed and sent Lesson: create new slides for the new root words WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - what makes this book worthy of reading? Lesson: Internet research for argumentative topic using research sheet to guide their question THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus: find an amazing compound sentence and point out the parts that make it so Skill-builder: proof - sentence wringer (is there a verb?) Lesson: What it takes to write a great argumentative introductory paragraph FRIDAY Avalanche Bay field trip! Week of 2/25/19 MONDAY Snow day TUESDAY Warm-up: collect poetry writing and vocabulary work; students take an assessment over compound sentences Skill-builder: "Take a Stand" - students will make choices and be ready to justify their choices as an intro to argumentative writing Lesson: Understanding fact vs opinion group activity, discuss the argumentative paragraph they will be writing and topics WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - who is the protagonist in your story and why? Lesson: Internet research for argumentative topic using research sheet to guide their question THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus: who is the round character (you know a lot about him/her) and who is the flat character (you don't know much about this person) in your story? Skill-builder: poetry activity Lesson: Pre-writing for argumentative paper FRIDAY Warm-up: proof - sentence wringers Skill-builder: root word practice for mitt/mit/miss Lesson: how to purposefully read an argument, looking for claim, reason, evidence Week of 2/18/19 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: dangling and misplaced modifiers notes Skill-builder: online practice with modifiers Lesson: Using "great paragraph" notes and extra information from today, REVISE and edit your marshmallow paragraph. When finished, work on poetry writing from Thursday. TUESDAY Drug education WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - who is the round character (you know a lot about him/her) and who is the flat character (you don't know much about this person) in your story? Lesson: constructed response writing - "Don't Eat the Marshmallow" and poetry response from lit book THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus: who is the protagonist in your story and why? Lesson: root word practice for mitt/miss/mit - SKITS!!! FRIDAY Warm-up: practice skit Skill-builder: compound sentences Lesson: Skit presentations Week of 2/11/19 MONDAY Warm-up: begin creating new slide for mitt/miss/mit root words Skill-builder: affect/effect practice - watch 2 min video, practice online, and then follow-up homework Lesson: begin writing a rough draft (in Google docs) for the "Don't Eat the Marshmallow" notes TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - make an inference about a character in your book Skill-builder: proof - than/then Lesson: Poetry lesson WEDNESDAY Snow day THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is the gist of what you read today? Lesson: What does it take to write an amazing paragraph? Students take notes on paragraph writing FRIDAY - half day for students Snow day Week of 2/4/19 MONDAY Snow day TUESDAY Ice day WEDNESDAY Warm-up: review AGAIN (after 5 snow days and NWEA!) mono/uni/counter/contra and then take assessment Skill-builder: proof - affect/effect Lesson: wrap up "Grandma's Garden" figurative language activity from . . . last week? THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - write a synopsis of your reading today. Lesson: "Ascent" - students practice listening skills as I read a poem. Follow up activity is drawing what they hear, discovering the author's purpose for writing it, possible themes, and use of figurative language. FRIDAY Warm-up: brainstorm ideas on what it takes to make a beautifully constructed paragraph Skill-builder: new root words miss/mit/mitt Lesson: I will model writing a constructed paragraph from the Ted Talk notes and then students begin writing their paragraph Week of 1/28/19 MONDAY Snow day TUESDAY - block NWEA Language Usage 1st and 5th hours WEDNESDAY- special schedule for Yellow Ribbon assembly Snow day THURSDAY Snow day FRIDAY NWEA Language Usage 2nd and 6th hours Week of 1/21/19 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: work on mono/uni scene Skill-builder: grammar links - FANBOYS, Comma Chameleon Lesson: Ted Talk - students will listen to a talk, take notes, and then turn those notes into a well-written, constructed paragraph with evidence from the talk. TUESDAY Warm-up: independent read - new reading log for 3rd MP Skill-builder: proof - prepositions Lesson: Figurative Language interactive presentation - guided notes, practice, and formative assessment WEDNESDAY- special schedule for Yellow Ribbon assembly Figurative language quiz Science article and questions SS article and questions THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - Skill-builder: review counter/contra/mono/uni Lesson: Grandma's Garden - lesson in figurative language FRIDAY Snow day Week of 1/14/19 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: new root words mono/uni Skill-builder: create new slide for these words Lesson: grammar links including commas, spelling, and subject/predicate agreement TUESDAY Warm-up: independent read Skill-builder: proofs - conjunctions and compound sentences Lesson: Poetry lesson - symbolism WEDNESDAY Warm-up: mono/uni practice Skill-builder: Poetry lesson - symbolism; students take notes and then do an exit ticket assessment Lesson: Symbolism activity THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: Skills and drills Lesson: wrap up for the end of the marking period FRIDAY - half day Lesson: analogies and context clues Week of 1/7/19 MONDAY - laptops SNOW DAY! TUESDAY Warm-up: finish Spelling Stations Skill-builder: proof - commas in series, commas with appositives Lesson: WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - finding appositives in our reading Lesson: Reading non-fiction activity in which students put paragraphs in order, determine, the author's purpose, use context clues to determine word meanings, and text evidence to support opinion THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - Skill-builder: analyze reading activity from yesterday Lesson: practice with counter/contra words FRIDAY Skill-builder: word work Lesson: skills and drills Week of 1/1/19 MONDAY No School TUESDAY No School WEDNESDAY Spelling Bee THURSDAY Warm-up: proof - than and then Skill-builder: Spelling stations - homonyms, commonly misspelled words, syllables, writing about our spelling, commonly confused words FRIDAY Warm-up: Quick-write: than, then, and 4 word wall words Lesson: finish spelling stations Week of 12/17/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: complete sentences and subject/predicate 1 Skill-builder: create new slide for counter/contra words Lesson: finish POV rap and begin word work (due Thursday) TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - give an example of a conflict in your novel and tell why type (man vs man, etc) it is. Skill-builder and Lesson: Subject/predicate practice and formative assessment WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus -make a connection to one of your characters or to a situation in your novel. Skill-builder: counter/contra practice at tables Lesson: practice our understanding of plot & tone with The Poison Tree by William Blake THURSDAY - MOVIE IN THE MORNING Skill-builder: tone and tone words from The Poison Tree Lesson: reading selections FRIDAY Warm-up: Skill-builder: Lesson: Week of 12/10/18 MONDAY Skill-builder: Review irony, conflict types, and how plays are supposed to be read. Lesson: Read Monsters Are Due on Maple Street , stopping to discuss hysteria, foreshadowing, and conflicts in a narrative. TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - give an example of a conflict in your novel and tell why type (man vs man, etc) it is. Skill-builder: proof - a lot Lesson: continue reading Monsters Are Due on Maple Street WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus -make a connection to one of your characters or to a situation in your novel. Skill-builder: new root words - counter/contra Lesson: Monsters Are Due on Maple Street conflict graphic organizer. THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - write a synopsis of your reading today. Skill-builder: explain the text to show activity Lesson: watch Monsters Are Due . . . Twilight Zone FRIDAY Warm-up: journal entry about narrative learning targets Skill-builder: simple sentences - what does it take to make one? Lesson: Begin mood and tone learning targets Week of 12/3/18 MONDAY Warm-up: proof - our/are Skill-builder: review learning targets for narratives Lesson: We will read a short narrative together and tables will analyze for theme, figurative language, and characterization TUESDAY Warm-up: independent read - find a beautifully crafted sentence in your reading and write it down Skill-builder: grammar links - complete sentences & spelling practice Lesson: To build schema for the play we will read this week, students will use the links on my website to research the Cold War, McCarthyism, and Communism. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent read - Skill-builder: discuss "Charles" work from last week Lesson: finish research on Cold War and McCarthyism. THURSDAY Warm-up: Share our research and clear up any confusion and then discuss how fear impacts our decision making Skill-builder: We will go over the 4 types of conflict and students will work with shoulder partners to come up with examples of each. Lesson: Assign reading roles and begin reading Monsters Are Due on Maple Street FRIDAY Skill-builder: journal response to Roosevelt's quote from his 1st inaugural address, "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." Lesson: graph/gram rap Week of 11/26/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: new root words - gram/graph Skill-builder: begin making new slide for our graph/gram words Lesson: Character types and character development in a narrative. TUESDAY Warm-up: independent read -who is the protagonist in your story? Describe that person. Skill-builder: proof - our/are and then assessment over previous proofs Lesson: constructed response on class clowns as a pre-reading activity for our narrative we will read. WEDNESDAY - shortened schedule due to band students gone in afternoon Skill-builder: three types of irony - students take notes and give examples Lesson: share constructed responses from yesterday THURSDAY Warm-up: independent read - focus: choose a character from your novel and determine if they are flat/round Skill-builder: review irony, characterization, and plot Lesson: as a class, read Charles by Shirley Jackson, stopping to notice characterization and irony in the story FRIDAY Warm-up: Skill-builder: We will read, "The Giving Tree" together Lesson: journal response about "Giving Tree" regarding theme, writer's craft, and characterization Week of 11/19/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: grammar link - Punctuating Dialogue 2, Grammar Gorilla advanced Lesson: assessment over phobia/phile root words; writing time to work on memoir or spooky story. TUESDAY 1/2 day for students Special schedule for assembly WEDNESDAY No School THURSDAY No School HAPPY THANKSGIVING FRIDAY No school Week of 11/12/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: grammar link - Punctuating Dialogue 2 Lesson: writing time to work on memoir or spooky story. TUESDAY Warm-up: independent read - new reading logs for 2nd MP Skill-builder: proof "where" and quickwrite response Lesson: Writing endings - students will notice the writer's style and craft and then write an ending that would match that style. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent read - focus: What intrigues you about this book? What keeps you reading? Skill-builder: phobia/phile word patterns and practice Lesson: reflecting on our spooky story by working it through a plot diagram THURSDAY Warm-up: independent read - focus: Skill-builder: phobia/philia assessment Lesson: I have, who has . . . FRIDAY Warm-up: Video journal entry Lesson: wrap up Week of 11/5/18 MONDAY Warm-up: class meeting - new marking period, responsibility, citizenship, word wall Skill-Builder: Finish reading The Monkey's Paw, stopping to point out foreshadowing, irony, powerful words Lesson: Reading comprehension work to follow up from the story TUESDAY - ELECTION DAY!!!! Warm-up: independent read and discussion about the value of reading and choosing books wisely Lesson: Watch The Monkey's Paw shortened version, based on the story read in class. Continue working on reading comprehension work, if time. WEDNESDAY - laptops Warm-up: grammar links - punctuating dialogue 2 Skill-builder: phobia/phile root word practice in spirals Lesson: memoir - bad endings THURSDAY Lesson: Review memoir skills and checklist - continue writing. The second half of the hour will be for continue students to begin their spooky story based on the photo (setting) and the graphic organizer they created for sensory imagery. FRIDAY Skill-builder: proof - where and then follow-up assessment on other proofs Lesson: Plot diagram prezi and then follow-up plot diagram for the Monkey's Paw Week of 10/29/18 MONDAY Warm-up: Composition Journal entry on desitny and fate Skill-Builder: vocabulary group activity using words from The Monkey's Paw Lesson: Foreshadowing TUESDAY - laptops Warm-up: grammar links on dialogue Skill-builder: new root word slide for phobia/philia Lesson: finish second draft of memoir. Make sure you have turned in your disaster poem. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read Skill-builder: finish vocabulary activity Lesson: read The Monkey's Paw as a class, stopping to notice and identify foreshadowing, irony, and plot diagram. THURSDAY Professional Development day - no school for students FRIDAY Lesson: pre-reading for spooky stories - listen to half-minute horror stories, pick a setting for your spooky story, begin to fill out the pre-writing graphic organizer. Week of 10/22/18 MONDAY Warm-up: grammar links - subject predicate 1 Skill-Builder: write 6-word memoirs, choose favorite and begin creating slide Lesson: print poem; Guided practice on memoir mentor text using The Opening of a New World by Malcolm X TUESDAY Skill-builder: Author's Craft discussion/examples Lesson: students use the mentor text, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, to annotate, show comprehension of learning targets for memoirs, and take a short assessment. WEDNESDAY Skill-builder: new root words phobia/philia Lesson: writing a memoir - great opening lines, narrowing down our topic, finding that great hook THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent reading for 10 minutes Skill-builder: dialogue tag lines and punctuation rules/examples Lesson: continue first draft of our memoirs FRIDAY Warm-up: Dialogue practice as a class Lesson: extended writing time to create our first draft of our memoir. Week of 10/15/18 MONDAY Warm-up: grammar links - their/they're/there/who's/whose Skill-Builder: third or final draft of cause/effect writing and disaster poems - print and turn in Lesson: parts of speech (I model, groups practice, individuals show understanding) TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: go over word work and POS practice Lesson: memoir mentor text "Life of Reilly" - guided practice on annotating and understanding the elements of a memoir WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-builder: root word "mal" practice Lesson: partners each read one memoir, fill out the "frayer a memoir" and then share their responses THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - synopsis Skill-Builder: tables share their "frayer" from yesterday's memoir Lesson: six-word memoir intro FRIDAY - half-day 10:00 band performance at PHS stadium students dismissed at 11:50 Week of 10/8/18 MONDAY Warm-up: start PP slides for new "mal" root words Skill-Builder: start typing second draft of disaster poem Lesson: research argumentative question about Columbus Day. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - what do you think the author's purpose for writing this novel is? Skill-builder: understanding analogies - Prezi using guided notes; follow-up analogy practice as word word Lesson: proof on who's/whose; continue writing first draft of disaster poem WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus -what is the mood of your story? Skill-builder: word work - analogies Lesson: finish Columbus Day research, work on disaster poem THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - write a synopsis (summary) of what you read today Skill-Builder: Elements of a memoir - take notes, discuss, mentor texts Lesson: independently read An American Childhood FRIDAY Warm-up: 7 minute memoir write - building stamina in writing Skill-Builder: "mal" root word practice in teams Lesson: I will model close-reading on An American Childhood - look for writing style and good reading skills Week of 10/1/18 MONDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - noticing amazing words in our reading Skill-Builder: aqua/hydro gallery walk Lesson: Students re-read the prose excerpt they chose on Friday and then begin writing their coinciding poetry. TUESDAY - Leavy and Boyer homerooms at Daggett Warm-up: grammar links - adjectives and adverbs Skill-builder: restate the question Lesson: TED Talk - students will listen to "Grit" by Angela Duckworth, take notes, and write a summary reflection WEDNESDAY - Ketvertis and Wargel homerooms at Daggett Warm-up: grammar links - adjectives and adverbs Skill-builder: restate the question Lesson: TED Talk - students will listen to "Grit" by Angela Duckworth, take notes, and write a summary reflection THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - What point of view does the author write from? Skill-Builder: aqua/hydro assessment and then new root words for "mal" Lesson: work on natural disaster poem FRIDAY Warm-up: composition journal response - lists Skill-Builder: I have, who has . . . (parts of speech activity); hand out "Synonym String 1" as word work Lesson: continue producing our first draft of our disaster poems Week of 9/24/18 MONDAY Warm-up: grammar links - proper and common nouns Lesson: continue to work on Listenwise (Reluctant Hero), aqua/hydro PP slide, and revisit your cause/effect paper TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - making predictions about what will happen next Skill-Builder: Frayer a classmate Lesson: Poetry - understanding the difference between poetry and prose WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading focus - thoughts about the novel you are reading Skill-Builder: aqua/hydro root word reinforcement activity "aquarium" Lesson: finish Poetry vs Prose lesson from yesterday THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading focus - character development (what do we know about the character that we didn't know before) Skill-builder: proof - who/whom Lesson: Word work, aqua/hydro work, Word Attack table activity FRIDAY Warm-up: composition journal response using their/there/they're/who/whom Lesson: Follow up to poetry vs prose: students choose a piece of prose writing and then write a poem to coordinate with it, like the Mt. Vesuvius activity. Week of 9/17/18 MONDAY NWEA - reading TUESDAY NWEA - reading WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Grammar practice online Skill-Builder: new root words - aqua/hydro Lesson: create year-long PowerPoint for our root words. Add the aqua/hydro words THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent reading - reading focus: visualizing the setting and current situation Skill-builder: Poetry pre-test Lesson: Listenwise - students will listen to a short interview and then answer questions in Google Classroom FRIDAY Warm-up: students will respond in their journals to a writing prompt Skill-Builder: introduce the word wall words - 10 words that are worth knowing! Lesson: Grammar pre-test Week of 9/10/18 MONDAY Warm-up: introduce "Laptop Mondays" to the class; show my website and how to navigate Skill-Builder: parts of speech links and record score on grammar skill-builder sheet Lesson: Writing a constructed response - begin writing about our stomp rocket activity. Learning targets are effectively showing a cause/effect relationship, using appropriate transition words, evaluating their own work by planning, revising, and editing. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading - reading focus: Skill-Builder: proofs - explain what the year-long proofs are and do first proof for their, they're, there Lesson: WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent reading - reading focus: making connections to your reading. What did it remind you of? What did it make you think of? Skill-Builder: Root Word Pre-Test Lesson: continue working on our cause/effect paragraphs THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent reading - reading focus: asking questions about your reading. Lesson: Greek & Latin Roots PowerPoint, while students take notes. FRIDAY Warm-up: video journal "Free Hug Campaign" - students watch a 2 minute clip and write a constructed response Skill-Builder: grammar practice with paragraphing. Groups determine how to separate an informational text into paragraphs. Lesson: follow up activity from the Greek & Latin Roots PP from yesterday Week of 9/3/18 MONDAY Memorial Day - no school TUESDAY - half day for students Getting to know routines, expectations, the room Introduce Stomp Rocket assignment - WE NEED EMPTY 2-LITER BOTTLES OF POP WEDNESDAY Warm-up: first full day "quiz" Lesson: Stomp Rockets - students will design a basic stomp rocket, launch it, come back and make one change to it, launch it again, and then write a cause/effect constructed response based on the results. THURSDAY Set up journals and spirals Lesson: Continue with Stomp Rocket launch FRIDAY Skill-builder: Lesson: how to write a cause/effect constructed response; model and show examples Week of 6/4/18 MONDAY Finish The Giver TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent Read Lesson: Train Ride - narrative writing guided prompt WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent read and fill out your reading log Lesson: finish Train Ride and share THURSDAY "Seeing Beyond" activity - 25 minute switches due to Awards Assembly in the pm FRIDAY - half day for students watch The Giver Week of 5/28/18 MONDAY MEMORIAL DAY TUESDAY Warm-up: discuss the Poetry and Root Word Post Tests coming up this week Skill builder: read chapter 15 on your own and write about the metaphor in that chapter in your reading log Lesson: Read chapters 16-17 as a class! WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent read and fill out your reading log Skill-builder: Lesson: THURSDAY Warm-up: review for poetry and root word tests tomorrow Lesson: Read The Giver FRIDAY Poetry Post-Test and Root Word Post-Test Week of 5/21/18 MONDAY Skill builder: new root words for circ/circum; update PowerPoint with new words, too. Lesson: read chapter 4 in The Giver, stopping to discuss the scene and release. TUESDAY Lesson: getting caught up with The Giver - together we will read chapters 5-7!!!! WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent read and log Skill-builder: root word practice for circ - "I have, who has . . ." Lesson: listen to The Giver, chapters 8-11 THURSDAY Warm-up: table discussion questions over chapters 9-11. Groups will share their responses. Lesson: listen to chapters 12-13 in The Giver FRIDAY - half day for students Lesson: Read The Giver together! Week of 5/7/18 MONDAY M-STEP ELA - 1st and 5th hour block TUESDAY M-STEP ELA - 2nd and 6th hour block WEDNESDAY M-STEP ELA THURSDAY - quick switches due to band in the PM Warm-up: go over word work Lesson: Explain how the historical informational writing piece will be set up; discuss possible "hooks" and peer editing FRIDAY Skill-builder: root word "hypo" practice Lesson: Rough draft of historical event, including hook/intro, written in chronological order. Laptops available for further research, citing sources, and getting direct quotes. Week of 4/30/18 MONDAY Warm-up: update root word PowerPoint for intra words Skill-builder: text-structure sites Lesson: writing research questions; continue researching your historical event TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read and log - make an inference about one of the characters in your novel. Skill-builder: Research Scaffolding - explain and discuss Lesson: Last day to research our historical event (use the scaffolding paper for organization) WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read and log - predict what will happen next. Skill-builder: Analyzing an Argument. Students will watch as I model how to analyze an argument and then write a critical response. Lesson: After watching how to analyze an argumentative article, students will practice on their own with an article with the opposing view. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read and log - write a synopsis of what you read today. Skill-builder: Share analysis beginnings from yesterday. Did you use the checklist? What types of evidence did she use? Lesson: Finish argumentative article analysis; work on word work. FRIDAY Skill-builder: parallel structure Lesson: Historical event writing Week of 4/23/18 MONDAY Warm-up: finish vocab from last week or work on sonnet Lesson: students will read a poem, determine the theme/central idea/POV/impact of setting/, and be able to determine the rhyme scheme and label parts of the poem. TUESDAY Warm-up: motivational video Skill-builder: Figurative language sorting activity in groups Lesson: Review through spiral and journal and literary terms Prezi review WEDNESDAY- BLOCK SCHEDULE NWEA Reading 1st and 5th hours THURSDAY - BLOCK SCHEDULE NWEA Reading 2nd and 6th hours FRIDAY Warm-up: Independent reading and log - focus: where in the plot diagram are you in your story Lesson: finalizing a historical topic to write on and begin research Week of 4/16/18 MONDAY Snow day TUESDAY Snow day WEDNESDAY- laptops Skill-builder: online review Lesson: Students will use context clues to understand the meaning of the vocabulary for this week. THURSDAY Skill-builder: Introduction to Sonnets - students will take notes during a Prezi on Shakespeare/sonnets/iambic pentameter Lesson: Practice activities on iambic pentameter and brainstorm possible topics for their own sonnet FRIDAY Skill-builder: new root word hypo with 10 new vocabulary words Lesson: Reviewing poetry terms and continue writing their own sonnet, being mindful about the elements of a sonnet Week of 4/9/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: add anthrop/hum to our root word PowerPoint Skill-builder: Preparation for research - Google Classroom response about why we study history. Lesson: Connotation and denotation TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent Read and fill out reading log - focus: noticing negative or positive connotations in our reading. Skill-builder: anthrop/hum practice activity Lesson: Chronological order - understanding the text structure for informational writing. Students will then practice their knowledge on connotation and denotation. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Follow-up activity for connotation and denotation Skill-builder: Anthro/hum vocabulary word activity Lesson: Informational Reading stations THURSDAY Warm-up: Skills practice Skill-builder: Understanding Literary Allusions and figurative language Lesson: Finish stations FRIDAY Skill-builder: Lesson: Week of 4/2/18 MONDAY Spring Break! TUESDAY Warm-up: Discuss Odysseus and Seirens responses Skill-builder: Introduce the informational/descriptive writing on a historical event unit - journal entry Lesson: Begin Peabody and Sherman, stopping to discuss the historical events and add to our journal. WEDNESDAY Snow day THURSDAY Skill-builder: Anthrop/hum root word practice Lesson: Peabody and Sherman FRIDAY Warm-up: finish anthro/hum practice Skill-builder: Constructed response on why we study history Lesson: finish Peabody Week of 3/19/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: new root words - anthrop/hum Skill-builder: Kahoot - characterization/conflict/plot Lesson: Lit links - point of view, context clues, idioms, and lit terms (write scores on record sheet) TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: which part of the plot diagram are you reading in your story? Skill-builder: figurative language skills (allusion, rhythm, symbolism) Lesson: Composition journal entry on "complete sentences" WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: synopsis Skill-builder: figurative language skills and then apply to poetry; Mindful listening Lesson: informational text with text-dependent questions THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: synopsis Skill-builder: Set up Google classroom Lesson: FRIDAY SPRING BREAK!! Week of 3/12/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: quiz over mono/uni vocabulary Skill-builder: literary terms links Lesson: Listenwise - Birth Order and critical thinking questions. The focus will be writing complete sentences. TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: which character is "round" and why? Skill-builder: practice questions Lesson: Quickwrite on African proverb (paraphrase, state opinion, give examples from our community) and on being taken advantage of. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: which character is dynamic so far? Skill-builder: practice questions Lesson: Continue scaffolding for Thank You, M'am - types of conflict and method of characterization THURSDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus: what type of conflict is in your story? Skill-builder: new root/vocabulary words Lesson: Begin reading Thank You, M'am by Langston Hughes FRIDAY - half day Lesson: Limericks - students will understand the rhyme scheme, importance of syllables, and stanza set-up of Limericks and then write two of their own. Week of 3/5/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: add new slide to year long PP for mono/uni vocabulary words Skill-builder: online context clues (only after writing is done) Lesson: Last day to work on mono/uni scenes TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: being aware of figurative language Skill-builder: Proof - Joining sentences legally Lesson: Scaffolding for reading today. Students will then read an excerpt from a story and answer text-dependent questions WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read Skill-builder: discuss text-dependent questions from yesterday, how they are worded, and what they are looking for Lesson: Begin "Characterization" lesson THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read and log - focus: Who is the protagonist in your story? Who is the antagonist? Skill-builder: quiz over mono/uni Lesson: Finish "Characterization" PPT and then begin fictional story and characterization activity FRIDAY 7th grade to Avalanche Bay Week of 2/26/18 MONDAY - laptops Skill-builder: online context clues (only after writing is done) Lesson: Share possible transition sentences, text evidence, and then finish themed writing - Monsters Are Due on Maple Street TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: describe one of your character's attributes Skill-builder: new root words for mono/uni Lesson: Poetry and figurative language - begin activity on similes and metaphors WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read Skill-builder: introduce and explain root word practice activity Lesson: Finish poetry/figurative language lesson from yesterday THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read and log - focus is writing a synopsis Skill-builder: work on mono/uni scene Lesson: Figurative language FRIDAY Warm-up: review figurative language Lesson: Grandma's Garden - students read and identify the figurative language in the story. Tables discuss and then fill in the rest of their puzzle pieces from yesterday. As a follow up activity, groups will put the 8 figurative language puzzle pieces together in a class competition. Week of 2/19/18 MONDAY - laptops Warm-up: finish counter/contra slide Skill-builder: make sure your informational writing on the strange sport you created is complete. Use the checklist. Lesson: Theme writing - Monsters Are Due on Maple Street TUESDAY Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: Would you recommend this book? Why or why not? Lesson: continue working on themed writing from MADOMS and begin typing if time permits WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read and reading log - focus: Skill-builder: root word "I have, who has . . " and then quiz over the vocabulary words Lesson: Poetry - TPCASTT strategy to analyze a poem. I will model first with a poem and then partners will TPCASTT using a Langston Hughes poem. This will lead us into the story for Thursday and Friday. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read Skill-builder: Scaffolding and building schema for reading "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes Lesson: Begin reading "Thank You, M'am" FRIDAY Warm-up: Exit ticket for "Thank You, M'am" Lesson: Finish story and do characterization chart using text evidence Week of 2/12/18 MONDAY Warm-up: create new root word slide for counter/contra Skill-builder: literary terms and reading activities online Lesson: type their informational piece on their "strange sport", being mindful of our no-excuse list and writing requirements. TUESDAY - laptops Warm-up: independent reading and log - focus area: Would you recommend this book? Why or why not? Skill-builder: Proof - colon usage Lesson: Read article from PNR on Ebola and relate to our story we are reading. Continue reading Monsters . . . WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read and reading log - focus: Skill-builder: root word practice (tables compete to match the vocabulary to the definition) Lesson: Finish Monsters Are Due on Maple Street; conflict within the story THURSDAY - Yellow Ribbon assembly Warm-up: Independent read Skill-builder: Word work - due on Tuesday of next week Lesson: Informational reading with critical thinking questions in response to reading. FRIDAY Warm-up: Invitation to write Lesson: Twilight Zone . . . Monsters Are Due on Maple Street! Week of 2/5/18 MONDAY Warm-up: Independent read and reading log - focus: write a sentence describing a character and use commas or colon Skill-builder: Proof - Lesson: Creative writing - based on Friday's listening activity, students will be asked to write a word for each category of terms (parts of speech, literary terms, etc) . They will use this information to write about their own obscure sport. They will need to include the name of the sport, how it's played, rules of the game, and its origin. Volunteers will share their ideas. TUESDAY - laptops Warm-up: root word slides or literary terms online sites Lesson: Students will be researching the Cold War Era and McCarthyism in order to build schema for the play that we will be reading this week. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read and reading log - focus: making predictions Skill-builder: introduce new root words - contra/counter (opposite) Lesson: Share and process research from yesterday - focusing on "hysteria" and real life examples THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read and reading log - focus: summarize Skill-builder: Scaffolding and building schema for Monsters Are Due on Maple Street play (types of conflict, etc) Lesson: Assign parts and begin reading the play. FRIDAY - half day for students Skill-builder: Lesson: continue reading Monsters Are Due on Maple Street play Week of 1/29/18 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: Update root word powerpoint Skill-builder: vocabulary websites Lesson: Irony lesson - students take notes while they watch 3 short video clips about the 3 types of irony. This information will be useful when reading our story tomorrow. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read and hand out new reading logs for 3rd MP Skill-builder: Quickwrite on "class clowns" Lesson: Go over literary connection (foreshadow and irony) and begin reading Charles from literature book. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read and reading log - focus: writing a synopsis Lesson: finish reading and discussing Charles. Then, students read an information article and make their thinking process visible by annotating the text. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read and reading log - focus: describing the setting with detail Skill-builder: Root word work for graph/gram Lesson: Vocabulary work from Charles. FRIDAY Warm-up: Listening practice Skill-builder: Students will take notes as they listen to an article about Strange Sports. The second time they listen, they will review their notes and add to, as needed. Lesson: Comprehension quiz on the article. Week of 1/22/18 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: Review rhyme scheme and turn in exit ticket Skill-builder: Quill - sentence structure diagnostic Lesson: Kahoot - language usage TUESDAY - block Snow day WEDNESDAY - block Mindful listening and goals NWEA for 1st and 5th hours THURSDAY Mindful listening and goals NWEA for 2nd and 6th hours FRIDAY - half day Warm-up: post-NWEA reflection journal entry Skill-builder: the importance of visualizing as we listen or read Lesson: "Ascent" poem will be read aloud, students visualize, draw what they imagine, write a synopsis, and then determine the theme of the poem as a table group. Week of 1/15/18 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: journal entry on the MLK quote - students will write a constructed response about the quote of the week. Skill-builder: grammar links - FANBOYS with complex sentences Lesson: evaluating online sources - After going over tools for evaluating website sources, groups will be given a website that they will need to investigate and evaluate for credibility. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and log Skill-builder: check synonym string Lesson: WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and log Skill-builder/Lesson: A lesson in "comma sense" - we will do proofs on 4 uses of commas and then do practice work afterwords a quick assessment THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. Skill-builder: Mindful listening Lesson: Prep work FRIDAY - half day Skill-builder: finish prep work Lesson: Rhyme Scheme! Week of 1/8/18 MONDAY Spelling Bee TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and log Skill-builder: word work Lesson: Finish spelling centers, independently WEDNESDAY - Laptops Warm-up: We will work through two of the grammar links, as a class, discussing as we go. Skill-builder: Students will have a list of language usage links that they will work on, independently. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. Skill-builder: Proofs - affect/effect Lesson: Remediation and practice on distinguishing the difference between affect/effect FRIDAY Skill-builder: Proofs - apostrophes (singular and plurals) Lesson: Appointment With Love - short story in which students will read and be assessed on skills we have been learning in class. Week of 1/3/18 MONDAY Winter Break TUESDAY - Laptops Winter Break WEDNESDAY Laptops Grammar links THURSDAY Spelling centers - students will review spelling rules and then work through centers FRIDAY Snow day Week of 12/18/17 MONDAY Drug Education (it was cancelled last week and rescheduled for today) TUESDAY - Laptops Warm-up: create new slide for root words graph/gram in our Root Word pp Skill-builder: proofreading commonly confused words; conjunctions Lesson: Informational reading "Who Speaks for the Animals?" with reading response quesitons WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. Skill-builder: root word (graph/gram) practice Lesson: noticing the thought-process on the types of questions from "Who Speaks for the Animals"; writing response THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. Skill-builder: Proof - subject/verb agreement Lesson: "I have, who has . . ." FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite Skill-builder: Holiday scramble Week of 12/11/17 MONDAY - Laptops Skill-builder: Plot diagram - review what it is, begin filling it out for The Monkey's Paw Lesson: Read The Monkey's Paw, stopping to discuss the vocabulary, point out foreshadowing, and irony. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - summarize your reading. Skill-builder: study tele words and take quiz over vocabulary Lesson: New root words - graph/gram WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. Watch The Monkey's Paw Complete the plot diagram THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: Symbolism in literature prezi and notes Lesson: Poetry/symbolism FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite, hand out word work for the week Skill-builder: Symbolism exit ticket Lesson: review plot diagram by going over The Monkey's Paw; assessment over plot diagram. Week of 12/4/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: make sure all PP slides are complete Skill-builder: Quill - coordinating adjectives, proofreading Lesson: Fake News TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and log - focus: making connections to our reading Skill-builder: coordinating adjectives worksheet Lesson: language stations assessment WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - making connections to your reading. Skill-builder: proof - a lot Lesson: scaffolding for The Monkey's Paw cliffhanger - students will journal about desitny, free will, and consequences of wishes. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: review tele root words and take quiz Lesson: Foreshadowing prezi - students will take notes and demonstrate command of the different types of foreshadowing and how to detect it in literature. Next, we will go over important, and sometimes difficult, vocabulary that will come up in The Monkey's Paw. FRIDAY Warm-up: finish vocabulary for The Monkey's Paw Skill-builder: "tele" root word competition Lesson: Week of 11/27/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: create new PP slides for vocabulary words for tele Skill-builder: Newsela - students will read a pro/con article and then, using text evidence, determine which side of the argument was the most fully developed. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes - no log today Skill-builder: proof - a lot Lesson: revise their response, making sure they used complete sentences, varied sentence structure, and text evidence WEDNESDAY - 30 minute classes due to band event in the PM Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - making connections to your reading. Skill-builder: root word practice THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - The focus for the reading today - what is the gist of today's reading selection? Skill-builder and lesson: language stations for writing FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite Skill-builder: finish language stations Lesson: coordinating adjectives Week of 11/20/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: chron and bio root words for pp slide. Skill-builder: links on my website to practice subject/predicate Lesson: Kahoot on grammar TUESDAY - half day Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - noticing transition words in our reading. Skill-builder: new root word tele New "word work" handed out - due next Tuesday. WEDNESDAY Thanksgiving Break! THURSDAY Enjoy your family and friends! FRIDAY See you on Monday! Week of 11/13/17 MONDAY - Laptops Skill-builder: links on my website for punctuating dialogue Lesson: Teen memoirs online - focus on writer's style and elements of a memoir TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - describing main character Skill-builder: proof - than/then Lesson: Poetry - imagery WEDNESDAY Drug Education THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - noticing varied sentence structure and length in their reading Skill-builder: invitation to notice, edit, and revise Transition Words Lesson: memoir writing - students will be given a "teen memoir" and they will need to notice the writer's style so they can write the conclusion for it. FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite - invitation to write Transition Words from yesterday. Lesson: Finish imagery in poetry from Tuesday: partners will read The Fish and find the sensory imagery throughout the poem. Week of 11/6/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: continue work on root word slides Skill-builder: grammar links, compound sentences - Quill.org Make sure spooky story final draft is edited, proofed, and printed Lesson: simple sentences TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. NEW MP LOGS TODAY. The focus for the reading today - predictions Skill-builder: proof - our/are Lesson: Memoir mentor text - half the class will read Helen Keller and the other half will read Malcolm X. They will analyze what makes it a memoir, answer questions, and then share with the class their noticings and wonderings. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: root work - phobia/phile - all class activity for review and then quiz Lesson: Memoir mentor text - We will read Sherman Alexi as a class. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: new root word - mis Lesson: memoir writing FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite - students will be given the body of a narrative and they will need to write the intro. What did they have to do to make it fit? Skill-builder: Simple Sentences - Write Well Lesson: Memoir writing Week of 10/30/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: create a slide for phobia/phile. Skill-builder: grammar links - Quill Lesson: begin final draft of SPOOKY story! TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: proof - where Lesson: Poetry lesson - Are You Using That Tone with Me?!?! WEDNESDAY Professional Development Day - no school for students THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: root work - phobia/phile. Creating images that represent our vocabulary words. Lesson: Memoir mentor text - Sherman Alexi FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite - video journal Skill-builder: "I have, who has . . . " Lesson: Week of 10/23/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: wrap up from previous weeks - make sure root slides are done, 6 word memoir slide is done, and Columbus day paragraph is finished and turned in to box. Skill-builder: grammar links Lesson: active listening - students will listen to a Ted Talk on "Grit". They will listen a second time, while taking notes. They will need to write a response based on the given prompt. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - finding great adjectives or figurative language in our reading. Skill-builder: proof - were/we're Lesson: revisit the beginning of An American Childhood, set purpose for reading, and finish story. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - noticing great verbs in the author's writing. Skill-builder: root work - phobia/phile. Write vocabulary words and definitions in spiral for now. Lesson: Memoir mentor text - Rick Reilly article. Students will look for figurative language, connections, and mood/tone. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - favorite character and why using descriptive words. Skill-builder: root work - practice activity for phobia/phile Lesson: elements of a regular story (to be applied to tomorrow's scary stories) such as a character/characters, a setting, and a conflict with some type of resolution. Writers will focus more on vivid verbs rather than adjectives to tell their story tomorrow. FRIDAY - Half day for students so shortened schedule Warm-up: journal quickwrite - Flash Fiction Scary Story Style!. Students will write a fictional story based on their reaction to a picture I provide. Skill-builder: "I have, who has . . . " nouns, verbs, adjectives Week of 10/16/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: create your Six Word Memoir slide Skill-builder: grammar links - possessives and punctuating dialogue Lesson: finish Columbus research from last week, write your thesis statement about your opinion on the topic, and write a paragraph to support your thesis. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - finding great adjectives or figurative language in our reading. Skill-builder: proof - who's/whose Lesson: Poetry lesson - mood and tone. Students will express the mood and tone of pictures, poems, and writing. Eventually, they will "create the mood" by drawing out pictures that represent the mood of a poem. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - describe the mood of your novel. Skill-builder: root work - "mal" review activity. Lesson: Memoir mentor text - Rick Reilly article. Students will look for figurative language, connections, and mood/tone. THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - write a 6 word memoir about one of your characters. Skill-builder: root work - "mal" quiz Lesson: Memoir mentor text - We will read an excerpt from "An American Childhood", looking for the author's voice and structure and the mood of the story. FRIDAY - Half day for students so shortened schedule Skill-builder: quiz over our proofs (their/they're/there, who/whom, you're/your), possessives, and dialogue. Week of 10/9/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: finish aqua/hydro/mal slides on the Root Word PP. Skill-builder: recognizing credible sources Lesson: Columbus Day research - students will research and identify both sides of the argument about whether or not we should celebrate Columbus Day. They will determine their position and state that position in one thesis statement. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - describe one of the "static" characters in your book. Lesson: Students will read "The Limited" poem, respond to its surface events, and then go further with an analysis of what the poem is really expressing. (determine central ideas, analyze how specific word choices shape meaning, analyze the structure of texts). WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: root work - "mal" group activity. Lesson: Introduction to the memoir unit - difference between narrative, memoir, and autobiography; Six-word memoirs THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - Skill-builder: root work - "mal" table competition Lesson: FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite - students will respond to a prompt using the words who/whom correctly and proving how they knew which one to use. Skill-builder: Lesson: Week of 10/2/17 MONDAY - Laptops Warm-up: set up new slide in PowerPoint for last week's new root/vocabulary words ("mal") Skill-builder: grammar warm-ups with mini quizzes. Students will record their progressive scores and make noticings about their ability Lesson: students will listen to a non-fiction article about the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico and write constructed responses to several questions. TUESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - write a 17 word summary of what they read today. Skill-builder: Proof - who/whom. Students will learn to prove that they know when to use the word who and when to use the word whom correctly. Lesson: Poetry - "Prose vs. Poetry" WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - understanding the difference between a dynamic character and static character. Then students will make a list of dynamic characters and then static characters from their book. Skill-builder: root work - students will create flip sentences in their spirals that will help understand what each vocabulary word means for the root "mal". Lesson: Pair Share activity - partners read a short literature selection, pay close attention to the language, the ideas, and their own thinking as they do so. (making logical inferences from a text, cite specific textual evidence, interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, assess how point of view shapes the content and style of a text.) THURSDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - choose one of the dynamic characters from yesterday's list and describe what they are like. Skill-builder: Lesson: Teacher Read-Aloud, preface from The Winter Room, by Gary Paulsen. Students will write and discuss their noticings and wonderings, where the author took them, and how they visualized the text. (interpret words or phrases as they are used in a text, assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style, participate effectively in a range of conversations about a text.) FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite - students will respond to a prompt using the words who/whom correctly and proving how they knew which one to use. Skill-builder: possessives Lesson: Students will read "The Limited" poem, respond to its surface events, and then go further with an analysis of what the poem is really expressing. (determine central ideas, analyze how specific word choices shape meaning, analyze the structure of texts). Week of 9/25/17 MONDAY Laptop learning: grammar warm-ups with mini quizzes. Students will record their progressive scores and make noticings about their ability; set up PowerPoint that will be used all year for their root words and add their first slide: aqua/hydro TUESDAY Word Work due Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - making predictions about what will happen next in their novel. Skill-builder: introduce grammar proofs - there/they're/their Lesson: Cause and Effect final draft typed in class. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - thoughts about the story, so far. Skill-builder: root work - groups complete an aqua/hydro activity and then take a quiz over our 10 vocabulary words that relate to these roots. Lesson: THURSDAY - Camp Daggett for Boyer and Ketvertis homerooms Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - write a 17 word summary of what they read today. Skill-builder: introduce new root word - MAL. Students write down their 10 new vocabulary words associated with this root. Lesson: students will be given a writing prompt and they will need to use their/they're/there in their response and do the proof above each word to show that they made the correct choice in spelling these words. FRIDAY - Camp Daggett for Giammalva and Leavy Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - write a 17 word summary of what they read today. Skill-builder: introduce new root word - MAL. Students write down their 10 new vocabulary words associated with this root. Lesson: students will be given a writing prompt and they will need to use their/they're/there in their response and do the proof above each word to show that they made the correct choice in spelling these words. Week of 9/18/17 MONDAY NWEA: reading TUESDAY NWEA: reading Poetry Pre-test - this will give me an idea of what students know about poetry and how I can improve their understanding and knowledge. Skill-builder: word work (due next Tuesday) WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Independent read for 10 minutes and fill in reading log. The focus for the reading today - questions, wonderings, challenging words in their novel. Skill-builder: root word work for aqua/hydra - aquarium Lesson: share some of our introductions/hooks for our cause/effect writing; continue writing using details from the launches and the checklist as a guideline. THURSDAY Warm-up: independent read for 10 minutes. The focus for the reading today - visualizations of setting in their novel. Skill-builder: Root word - aqua/hydra - aqua/hydra sort activity in small groups Lesson: continue cause/effect writing for stomp rockets - finish rough drafts FRIDAY Warm-up: journal quickwrite Skill-builder: grammar paragraphing Lesson: Apply what we learned about paragraphing in the skill-builder to our cause/effect papers. Be ready to type on Monday. Week of 9/11/17 MONDAY Laptop Monday: 9/11 lesson - students practice active listening to "A Reluctant Hero", take notes, and answer questions. LEARNING TARGET: students can analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in different media, formats, and texts to develop an understanding of a topic, text, or issue. Stomp Rocket 2nd launch TUESDAY Warm-up: independent read for 10 minutes Skill-builder: introduce grammar proofs - there/they're/their Lesson: Stomp Rocket cause/effect paragraph writing. LEARNING TARGET: write informative/explanatory texts to convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. Students will make a connection between the cause and effect of their rockets. WEDNESDAY Warm-up: Greek/Latin roots introduction powerpoint Skill-builder: taking notes, making connections to root words, mini assessment at the end Lesson: introduce the cause/effect writing by defining and partners watch a video clip and pick out the cause/effects. THURSDAY Warm-up: independent read for 10 minutes Skill-builder: Root word - aqua/hydra - students will write down definitions of the 10 vocab words for this root Lesson: continue cause/effect writing for stomp rockets - creating a "hook" and adding detail to our writing. LEARNING TARGET: introduce a topic clearly, organize ideas and information using the cause/effect strategy. FRIDAY Warm-up: video journal quickwrite - students watch a 2 minute clip on the Fun Theory and write a reflective response in their journals. Volunteers will share. What are some things we can expect of 7th grade quickwrites? What should be included in a constructed response? Skill-builder: grammar paragraphing Lesson: Stomp Rocket cause/effect writing, working through checklist, norms of a constructed response. LEARNING TARGET: Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the cause/effect relationship. Provide a concluding statement that supports the information presented. Week of 9/4/17 MONDAY Labor Day - no school! TUESDAY Room tour Establishing norms Conduct 5 things interview, share out with class. Skill: speaking, listening WEDNESDAY ELA overview Root word pre-test Begin Stomp Rockets - students will build a basic rocket (next couple days: launch it, make a change to it, launch it again, and then write a paper about the cause an effect.) Learning target: produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task. Follow instructions, write with a purpose, understand the connection between the cause and the effect. THURSDAY Warm-Up - First day quiz . . . . on the third day! Skill builder: set up spiral for the year Stomp Rockets: Day 2 - launch first rocket and then make one change to the rocket. FRIDAY Stomp Rockets: students will reflect on their launch and the redesign they made. We will go outside to launch the new rockets. I will launch mine and they will use my ideas to determine why it went farther. They will have a chance to make a 2nd redesign. We will begin discussing the idea of cause and effect for their writing next week. Week of 6/2/17 MONDAY Field trip to Kalkaska Kaliseum. TUESDAY Finish The Giver movie WEDNESDAY Seeing Beyond - culmination activity for The Giver THURSDAY TED Talk Awards Assembly FRIDAY LAST DAY - students released at 11:50 Week of 5/22/17 MONDAY I will write an AOW response to last week's article to make my thinking visible and so students can see what a solid constructed paragraph looks like. Students will then edit their rough draft paragraph from Friday and type a final copy. Read The Giver Ch. 8-9 on their own or listen to it online. TUESDAY Tables discuss chapters 7-9, using essential questions to guide their discussion. This group discussion will then become a class discussion, based on table's highlights of the questions. We will read chapters 10-11 together WEDNESDAY Quiz over root word "hyper" Read chapter 12 and then an assessment over the first half of the book. THURSDAY Read chapters 13-14 together Author, Lois Lowry, prepares readers for the end of the book. FRIDAY Half Day - professional development Classes watch the Talent Show and then listen to The Giver, chapters 15-17 Week of 5/15/17 MONDAY The Giver: vocabulary for chapters 1-5 (connotation/denotation, "precision of language"), finish chapter 1, read chapters 2-5 on their own. TUESDAY Shortened schedule due to band: Welcome to Utopia activity: students will think critically about pros/cons of given elements of a perfect world and then justify their reason. WEDNESDAY Groups meet to collaborate and write a constructed response based on the essential question for that chapter. THURSDAY Root word activity for "hyper" The Giver FRIDAY AOW (article of the week): Picked Baby's Name? Not So Fast, in Denmark - we will read once together, students will do a second reading on their own so they can annotate and prepare for their response. We will write a constructed response that reflects their understanding of the article and how it relates to The Giver. Finish chapter 7 in The Giver Week of 5/8/17 MONDAY Block 1st and 5th hours Scaffolding for The Giver - text evidence lesson on The Preamble to the Constitution, focusing on our rights and privileges as Americans. Utopia activity - what is it? what does it mean to each of us? Students will make their thinking visible by working with partners and then sharing how they came to their constructed responses. Students will decide on pros/cons of possible Utopian characteristics and then justify their decisions. Finish with going over the essential questions and group discussion. TUESDAY Block for 2nd and 6th hours Scaffolding for The Giver - text evidence lesson on The Preamble to the Constitution, focusing on our rights and privileges as Americans. Utopia activity - what is it? what does it mean to each of us? Students will make their thinking visible by working with partners and then sharing how they came to their constructed responses. Students will decide on pros/cons of possible Utopian characteristics and then justify their decisions. Finish with going over the essential questions and group discussion. WEDNESDAY Block 1st and 5th hours Skill: new root words and root word activity Video journal: students will discuss a Utopian society vs a Dystopian society, watch a short clip on a modern day attempt at living in a Utopian society, and then write a constructed response in their journals based on our essential questions. Volunteers will share their responses. Begin reading The Giver THURSDAY Block for 2nd and 6th hours Skill: new root words Video journal: students will discuss a Utopian society vs a Dystopian society, watch a short clip on a modern day attempt at living in a Utopian society, and then write a constructed response in their journals based on our essential questions. Volunteers will share their responses. Begin reading The Giver FRIDAY Poetry: Abuelito Who poems for moms! Week of 5/1/17 MONDAY MSTEP - ELA Block for 1st and 5th hours TUESDAY MSTEP - ELA Block for 2nd and 6th hours WEDNESDAY MSTEP - ELA no blocking THURSDAY Wrap-up day: students will wrap up missing assignments and work on antecedents. FRIDAY Skill: vocabulary words Scaffolding for The Giver novel: Identity activity Week of 4/24/17 MONDAY Carbon Footprint - students use the laptops to calculate how many Earths it will take to sustain the lifestyle they live. Type their Train Ride writing. Make sure their article is coded for tomorrow's group activity TUESDAY Students will collaborate and support each other as they put together the causes/effects/solutions for the article they chose. They will need to come up with an opposition for the solution and then present their finding to the class. WEDNESDAY Text Structure: guided notes THURSDAY Scope magazine: reading non-fiction to find the main idea, supporting text, and understanding the central claim FRIDAY Laptops - M-Step prep Week of 4/17/17 MONDAY Begin Earth Day/Environmental Unit Students read the non-fiction article, How Water Loss Affects Biodiversity. They answer 10 questions at the end and then go back in the text to underline their text evidence. This will allow students to check their answers and prove where the text supports answers. TUESDAY Students choose 3 short videos to watch on their laptop and take notes. Each video has two critical thinking questions that must be answered using UPOQIA (use part of question in answer). WEDNESDAY Quiz over their root words anthro/hum Finish environmental videos and questions THURSDAY We will read a food waste article together - making thinking visible, coding text (cause, effect, solution). Individuals will "code the text" (like yesterday's example) on the article that they chose from Tuesday. FRIDAY Meet in groups based on article that they coded above. Share coding with group and support each other. Talk about opposition; present summary of their topic Week of 4/10/17 MONDAY Check scavenger hunt from Friday. Article of the Week (AOW): The honeybee has taken flight from the Cheerios box to sound a bee alert Students read the non-fiction article online, take notes in their journals, and then write a constructed response. TUESDAY Proof: a lot Introduce Found Poems: explain, show examples, discuss the idea behind this genre of poetry. WEDNESDAY Skill: root words (anthrop/hum) work Work on Found Poems THURSDAY Finish Found Poems - due Monday FRIDAY Finish Sonnets - due Monday Week of 4/3/17 MONDAY SPRING BREAK TUESDAY Block for math NWEA - 1st and 5th hours today I have, who has . . . antonyms Skill: new root word - anthro (human) Read, "Thank You, M'am" from our literature book. Students will focus on characterization and how setting affects the story. WEDNESDAY Block for math NWEA - 2nd and 6th hours today I have, who has . . . antonyms Skill: new root word - anthro (human) Read, "Thank You, M'am" from our literature book. Students will focus on characterization and how setting affects the story. THURSDAY Proof: affect, effect Partners second-read "Thank You, M'am", using a scavenger hunt to notice examples of direct/indirect characterization, impact of setting, and inferences. FRIDAY Wrap up: finish writing their sonnet, complete the scavenger hunt and text evidence from Thank You, M'am, and finish the uni/mono activity. Week of 3/20/17 MONDAY NWEA Reading - block schedule 1st and 5th hours TUESDAY NWEA Reading - block schedule 2nd and 6th hours WEDNESDAY Continue writing Sonnets and Limericks THURSDAY Catch up on missing work for end of 3rd marking period End of Winter Olympics FRIDAY SPRING BREAK Week of 3/13/17 MONDAY Literary terms/figurative language kahoot! TUESDAY Literature reading selection: I read a narrative selection aloud and then the class helps me answer the question, with justifications for the answers. Then, students will read a narrative selection on their own, answering questions, and ready to share their thinking process. WEDNESDAY Meditation: students listen to a mindful reading Poetry: read Attitude by Charles Swindoll, annotate, look for repetition, and answer questions. Students will share their thinking process when they analyzed the poem. Skill: context clues THURSDAY Skill: Point of View (POV) Poetry analysis: students read two poems about cockroaches (yes, cockroaches) and determine the difference in connotation, denotation, and tone. Skill: analogies FRIDAY Poetry: excerpt from The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe in groups Motivational video clip (football) Go over NWEA scores from fall and then set goals for Monday's test. Week of 3/6/17 MONDAY Figurative language online activities HW: hand out tone/mood packet that is due on Thursday TUESDAY Continue working on uni/mono activity from last week "Grandma's Garden": figurative language group thinking skills WEDNESDAY Review poetry terms from scavenger hunt Review literary terms/figurative language, share examples, and then crossword for assessment. THURSDAY Shakespeare's Sonnet 18: analyze for rhyme scheme, poetic devices and terms, and then create their own sonnet FRIDAY Half day Work on sonnet and uni/mono activity Week of 2/27/17 MONDAY Word meanings TUESDAY Skills: new root words uni/mono proof: who/whom Use those words in a group write-around WEDNESDAY Share group write-arounds from who/whom yesterday Poetry review, read Rosa poem, answer critical thinking questions Begin uni/mono root word activity THURSDAY Informational reading practice: together, we read an informational story and answer questions FRIDAY Informational reading assessment: on your own, read an informational story and answer questions Continue working on root word activity Week of 2/20/17 MONDAY Writing a hook: students end up writing 3 hooks and then choosing one for their paragraph Putting it all together: we will review the necessary components of writing an effective paragraph Begin writing the rough draft TUESDAY Finish writing and check organization, transition words, and edit. BOLD your claim, UNDERLINE your evidence, and HIGHLIGHT your commentary. WEDNESDAY Quiz over contra/counter root words Video journal - constructed response THURSDAY Skill: connotation and denotation Share argumentative papers: edit for clarification by students FRIDAY Share argumentative papers: pick out the claim and evidence Week of 2/13/17 MONDAY Argumentative writing: types of evidence TUESDAY I have, who has: conjunctions and prepositions by teams Root word practice: contra/counter sort by teams Students choose the argumentative paragraph writing topic WEDNESDAY Argumentative writing Prezi Using laptops, students will research their chosen argumentative writing topic THURSDAY Understanding how commentary will make your argumentative paragraph more persuasive. Students will practice picking out claim, evidence, and commentary. FRIDAY Organizing the structure of an argumentative paragraph. Transition Madlibs to understand the importance of smooth transitions between evidence and commentaries. Contra/counter root words practice Week of 2/6/17 MONDAY Laptops: finish "credible sources" activity from last Monday. Distinguishing between argumentative, persuasion, and propaganda Analyzing a visual image TUESDAY Scope Magazine: debate on whether athletes are paid too much Introduce new root word: contra/counter WEDNESDAY Argumentative writing: Fact vs. Opinion, continued Proof: their, they're, there Prezi: argumentative writing THURSDAY Argument Anchor Chart to review terms Watch 2 youtube clips and pick out the claim/evidence for each argument Take a Stand: students make choices and must provide evidence for each choice Skill: their, they're, there FRIDAY HALF DAY Article of the Week (AOW): students read an argumentative article and determine the claim, evidence, and facts/opinions Week of 1/30/17 MONDAY Scaffolding for argumentative paragraph writing: safe internet searching activity and reflection; understanding credibility of resources on laptops TUESDAY Drug Education WEDNESDAY Go over the goals for this unit with students Argumentative writing scaffolding: "would you rather" class activity to give students their first step towards taking a stand. Students will then write quick reflections, to generate opposing stances. Four-square argument activity to give students the chance to see an argument from both sides. THURSDAY Skill: new root word Argumentative writing: Journal entry on getting paid for chores and then share with class Magazine article and op/eds with for and against opinions on chores FRIDAY Drug Education - last day for our pod Week of 1/23/17 MONDAY Skill: using technology to refine and review our language usage skills TUESDAY Skill: coordinate adjectives Skill: which sentence is correct? Which reference source is best? WEDNESDAY Writing skills: sentence structure, choosing resources THURSDAY NWEA - Language Usage FRIDAY Finish NWEA Week of 1/16/17 MONDAY Poetry scaffolding: Poetry scavenger hunt Finish "Ninja" reading/summary/key details TUESDAY Skill: compound sentences Day 1 and 2 - invitation to notice and imitate Skill: understanding the basis of essays; collaborative work (from Great Educators) Collective nouns WEDNESDAY Skill: compound sentences Day 3 - invitation to revise Skill: understanding the basis of essays; collaborative work and independent work (from Great Educators) "I have . . . who has . . ." - parts of speech THURSDAY Skill: compound sentences Day 4 - invitation to edit Skill: understanding the basis of essays; collaborative work (from Great Educators) FRIDAY Skill: compound sentences Day 5 - invitation to write (from Great Educators) Week of 1/9/17 MONDAY FinishWesting Game movie Skill: introduce new root words gram and graph TUESDAY Skill: simple sentences - Day 1and Day 2 Students will be asked to notice what simple sentences have in common and then compare/contrast these sentences. Skill: root word work for gram and graph WEDNESDAY Snow Day THURSDAY Skill: simple sentences - Day 3 Invitation to revise simple sentences and Day 4 Invitation to edit (proofread) simple sentences. Skill: pronouns (personal and possesive) - explain/review, practice on their own, then end with a pronoun game. Root word work: bequething our graph/gram words! FRIDAY Skill: simple sentences - Day 5 Invitation to write (assessment of simple sentences and use of pronouns/homophones) a silly paragraph using our skills from the week. Week of 1/2/17 MONDAY No School TUESDAY Finish Westing Game final test turn in Character Analysis WEDNESDAY Begin Westing Game movie THURSDAY SNOW DAY FRIDAY Annual school spelling bee by homeroom Week of 12/19/16 MONDAY Take-home quiz over chapters 17-19 The Westing Game: finish chapter 21, read 22-23 TUESDAY Go over quiz from yesterday. Read chapters 24-26, update Character Analysis WEDNESDAY Finish The Westing Game Update Character Analysis for the ending of the book THURSDAY Final test over Westing Game; Character Analysis due January 3 (the day we return from break . . . . no exceptions) FRIDAY No school - Happy Holidays!!!!!! Week of 12/12/16 MONDAY Skill: vocabulary for chapters 14-20. Students will determine the meaning of words using context clues and then write a "working definition" for each word. Kahoot: chapter 1-11 review of The Westing Game TUESDAY Finish vocabulary activity from Monday. Read chapters 13-14 WEDNESDAY Skill: type of characters - students will learn about static, flat, round characters and then whether the characterization is indirect or direct. Students will need to begin adding this "character" information to their Character Analysis. Read chapter 15-17 THURSDAY Read chapters 18-20 Skill: new root words - graph/gram FRIDAY Skill: symbolism and motif lesson regarding The Westing Game continue reading chapters 21-22 Week of 12/5/16 MONDAY Character Analysis: explain the reason for using one and begin to fill in for points. Continue reading The Westing Game TUESDAY Finish chapters 6 and 7 WEDNESDAY Skill: phobia/phile work with changing derivatives Listen to chapter 8 THURSDAY Review chapters 7-8 Update Character Analysis Predictions based on text evidence FRIDAY Quiz over root words: phobia/phile Read chapters 10-11 Week of 11/28/16 MONDAY Commas in dialogue - Day 1: Invitation to notice Finish Monkey's Paw literary analysis and discuss After reading the two examples, write down at least 3 things you noticed about comma usage and its placement. Scaffolding: Introduce our novel, The Westing Game, by explaining the elements of a mystery as students take notes. TUESDAY Commas in dialogue - Day 2: Invitation to compare, contrast, and imitate Place the appropriate punctuation in the blanks in the first example. The second example does not have blanks as clues, but you need to add in 2 commas to make it grammatically correct. Westing Game scaffolding: paragraph reflection on "taking a dare". Then, students will answer true/false questions from an Anticipation Guide for The Westing Game. After sharing answers, groups will defend/justify their responses. WEDNESDAY Begin reading The Westing Game Reflect back on the anticipation guide from yesterday as items pop up in the reading. THURSDAY Commas in dialogue - Day 3 Invitation to revise Revise the parts of a dialogue sentence into three complete lines of dialogue. Explain and assign FOCUS GROUPS for reading FRIDAY Commas in dialogue - Day 4 Invitation to edit What is wrong with the examples? Continue reading The Westing Game Week of 11/21/16 MONDAY Finish reading The Monkey's Paw, stopping to point out literary devices and student comprehension. Students work on the literary analysis on their own. TUESDAY 25 minute classes Skill: practice work for root words phobia/phile WEDNESDAY NO SCHOOL THURSDAY NO SCHOOL - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! FRIDAY NO SCHOOL Week of 11/14/16 MONDAY Skill: synonyms - "I have, who has . . " Watch Twilight Zone episode: Monsters are Due on Maple Street TUESDAY Scaffolding for the "cliffhanger", The Monkey's Paw - students will learn the difference between destiny and fate, they will use these terms and write a reflective paragraph to support their findings. Literary device: foreshadowing - why do we use it? Examples, situations, exit ticket WEDNESDAY Skill: Collaboration and analysis - what does the text mean? Students analyze infographics and come up with claims based on the information given and relate it to how reading impacts our lives. THURSDAY Vocabulary for The Monkey's Paw Discussion on cliffhangers Read The Monkey's Paw as a class FRIDAY Special day for end of marking period. Week of 11/7/16 MONDAY Article of the Week (AOW): Students will listen to a TED talk on Grit and analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study. Students will modify their own views and write a reflecting paragraph. Continue reading the play Monsters are Due on Maple Street. TUESDAY Skill: introduce new root words "phobos/philia" Finish going over vocab words for Monsters are Due on Maple Street. Continue reading the play WEDNESDAY Complex issues in text: conflict (4 types) Finish Monsters are Due on Maple Street. Formative assessment: types of conflict in our play, Monsters are Due on Maple Street. THURSDAY Skill: root word work Process/discuss the ending of the play: students will reflect, using evidence from the text and their own opinions, what the ending meant. We will share as a group. Conflict formative assessment: students will identify and define the different types of conflict in the play. FRIDAY Skill: phobia/phile practice Literary Terms quiz Week of 10/31/16 MONDAY Finish scary stories, focusing on elements of plot. TUESDAY No school - Professional Development Day WEDNESDAY Skill: root word work on "mis" Reading Reasons: Word Attack Begin reading the dramatic play: Monsters Are Due on Maple Street - assign reading parts, THURSDAY Students will fill out a plot diagram based on their scary stories before they hand them in to me. Literary Terms pre-test: students will take a pre-test and then the same test at the end of the year to show growth and understanding of terms. Continue reading Monsters Are Due on Maple Street FRIDAY Quiz over vocab root word: "mis" Continue reading Monsters Are Due on Maple Street Week of 10/24/16 MONDAY Skill: introduce new root words - mal/mis Use laptops to make a powerpoint slide for their 6 word memoir TUESDAY Pen to paper: write for two minutes about the essential questions from the Women's Suffrage unit. Share with class. Scaffolding for the play Monsters Are Due on Maple Street: analyze Communism article as I annotate for the class and model mindful reading. Students should be making connections to the hysteria/fear of communism to hysteria/fear with current issues like ebola, xenophobia, and clowns. Hand back graded Memoirs and give students a chance to edit AGAIN! WEDNESDAY Proof: commas in a series Wrap up Communism article, discussions, understanding objectives of the unit. Skill: vocabulary THURSDAY Skill: plot diagram Proof: commas after beginning phrases/clauses "Write Around" at tables to practice the elements of a plot diagram FRIDAY Scary Story writing Week of 10/17/16 MONDAY Finish AOW from Friday. Introduce the Women's Suffrage unit - The Big Questions: How did women of the past use their voices to get the right to vote? What are some ways that people get their voices heard today? Are there any topics that you are passionate about and want to add your voice to? Students analyze a primary source, understand what suffrage means, and begin researching using guiding questions. TUESDAY Model how to analyze a picture Primary source puzzle: groups put a primary source puzzle together and then analyze it using a Primary Source Analysis Tool. Close read an article on women's suffrage and then do 3-2-1 and write notes on chart paper. WEDNESDAY Skill: what is bias? Continue to work through Women's Suffrage PowerPoint: secondary source, pair/share/answer questions Gallary Walk - look at primary sources to determine if they are for or against women's suffrage. What is your evidence? Class discussion: what rights do we have and how far should we be able to push it? THURSDAY Continue working through Women's Suffrage PowerPoint Continue Gallery Walk of primary source pictures. Introduce new AOW (Article of the Week) - Kaepernick Taking a Knee FRIDAY Half day - 30 minute switches AOW - Kaepernick Taking a Knee Class debate on AOW Week of 10/10/16 MONDAY skill: review root words aqua/hydra Kahoot on aqua/hydra Use laptops: continue to transform ideas into moments of significance. Go over "leading leads" and 10 ten worst endings of memoirs. TUESDAY Proof: explain what proofs are, go over the proof sheet that they will use, do the proof on me/I to tie into their writing a memoir in the first person. Memoir: we will read the mentor text "Hot Combs, Watermelon, and Hello Kitty Backpacks", paying attention to the component chunks and how the chunks fit together. As we read, I will actively read out loud to show students the different techniques the author uses. Finally, students will pair share their writing so far, looking for elements of a memoir. WEDNESDAY Continue writing memoirs and work on Six Word Memoir PowerPoint slide. Memoir: go over "top 10 worst endings" and "Excellent Endings" THURSDAY Pair/share/edit their memoir to analyze the memoir text features skill: Complete sentences FRIDAY Skill: details to main idea Article of the Week: The Learning Myth - Why I'll Never Tell My Son He's Smart. Students annotate the article and reflectively respond to questions using text evidence. Using the skill (details to main idea) students will write a 17 word summary about the article. Video journal entry Week of 10/3/16 MONDAY NWEA for reading TUESDAY NWEA for reading WEDNESDAY Skill: proof - there, their, they're Graphing out their memoir topics to expose the event, how they handled the event, and the new realization of that particular moment. Narrowing down their memoir list to choose the event they will be writing about. Fabulous first lines in memoirs and mentor texts. Students will create their own fabulous first line to "hook" the reader. THURSDAY Skill: dialogue rules and usage Top 8 things to think about when writing a memoir. Begin writing their memoir by transforming ideas into moments of significance, new understandings, and realizations. FRIDAY Continue working on rough draft and revising - use strategies to enhance reflective writing. Finish Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie. Students will need to infer, use text evidence to answer questions, and break apart the extended metaphor about fences. Students will create their own "fences" to help brainstorm ideas for their own memoir they will be writing, using a Memoir Map. Week of 9/26/16 MONDAY Review the elements of a memoir. Teen memoirs: students will use laptops to read two online memoirs looking for how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of the memoir. Students will understand what makes the story a memoir and how the use of sentence variations can be powerful in writing. TUESDAY Memoir: read a memoir from Helen Keller. Students will be actively reading to make connections and look for strength in verbs and tone. Groups will respond to the memoir on a piece of construction paper split into 8 sections: inferring, details, description, and citing evidence to support their opinions. Groups will share with the class. Exit Ticket regarding elements of a memoir. WEDNESDAY Reading logs for independent reading Finish Helen Keller group questions and share with the class. Take 5 point quiz as a quick reading check. Continue working on 6 word memoirs and share last year's video. THURSDAY FRIDAY Memoir: read Superman and Me, by Sherman Alexie to understand writer's craft, how setting impacts the story, and the powerful use of metaphors. Reading Wisdom: students reflect on the quote of the week in their journal. Pair and share. Week of 9/19/16 MONDAY Begin Memoir Unit: read a selection from "An American Childhood" in their literature books. Pre-reading: building background, making connections to the story and setting - partner pair and share. After reading, what strategies did you use? What connections did you make? Quickwrite response in their journals. TUESDAY Read "An American Childhood" together so I can model effective reading strategies. Students will use text evidence to support their responses to questions. Strengthen Your Verbs article - partners look for sentences with strong verbs in the memoir we just read. WEDNESDAY Skill: annotating text using "Tuning" Skill: root word work - aqua Work on text dependent questions, citing evidence to support your responses. THURSDAY Skill: root word work on aqua Continue working on "citing evidence" for An American Childhood Reading Reasons: group activity in which students will understand how to decode words and the importance of reading different genre to help build their vocabulary. FRIDAY Finish "Building Your Vocabulary" activity in their journals. Six Word Memoirs: introduction to writing a memoir - students look at how word choice is crucial to writing. This offers students the ability to summarize, yet make meaningful statements. Students will write 10 six words memoirs and then narrow it down to one that they will make a slide for. Week of 9/12/16 MONDAY Review lock-down procedure Vocabulary/Root Word pre-test (post test at the end of the year) Personalize their writing journals Introduce cause/effect paper and how to write a good "hook" or lead in a paper. TUESDAY Transition words and rich adjectives in our cause/effect writing Discuss cause/effect writing: students will describe the relationship between steps in their stomp rocket activty using language that pertains to cause/effect. Begin writing rough draft in journal. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.A) Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.C) WEDNESDAY With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5) Finish final draft on your own: due on Monday, September 19. THURSDAY Set up their spiral notebook for the "skills" throughout the year, including Greek/Latin Roots Introduction to Greek and Latin Roots: students take notes as I explain and we discuss the reasons for learning about root words and how they help you learn hundreds of words. FRIDAY Begin Memoir Unit: read a selection from "An American Childhood" in their literature books. Skill: root word aqua Week of 9/6/16 MONDAY Labor Day - no school! TUESDAY Room tour Establishing norms Conduct 5 things interview, share out with class. Skill: speaking, listening WEDNESDAY First day quiz . . . . on the second day! Create a name tent that stands on its own Writing: Imagine you're cooking dinner for your enemy. What do you serve? Write a narrative about the experience. Be sure to include why you are having dinner with your enemy in the first place! Being with your enemy establishes a clear conflict; now how do you raise the stakes? As you develop conflict of your story, always think about how to keep it interesting and how to keep your audience involved. Skills: writing with a task in mind, creative writing, clear beginning/middle/end THURSDAY Stomp Rockets: students will create a basic stomp rocket and launch it outside. They will get the chance do do a redesign with a specific goal in mind. skill: following instructions, establishing a goal and staying focused FRIDAY Stomp Rockets: students will reflect on their launch and the redesign they made. We will go outside to launch the new rockets. I will launch mine and they will use my ideas to determine why it went farther. They will have a chance to make a 2nd redesign. We will begin discussing the idea of cause and effect for their writing next week. Week of 6/6/16 MONDAY Root words anthrop/hum: breaking apart the word based on the definition Read chapters 18-19 TUESDAY Year of Roots review Read chapters 20-21 The Giver WEDNESDAY End of year test on all of our root words Finish The Giver Making connections, answering essential questions about The Giver THURSDAY Test over The Giver FRIDAY Watch The Giver Week of 5/30/16 MONDAY Memorial Day - please take some time to honor the millions that have given their lives for our liberty and freedom. No school TUESDAY Finish speeches WEDNESDAY Read, read, read . . . get caught up on The Giver Group discussion points THURSDAY Euphemisms in The Giver and our daily lives Making connections to chapters 10-13 Read! FRIDAY Read chapters 15-17 Week of 5/23/16 MONDAY Speech discussion: share ideas on how to give a good speech, go over the rubric, watch a TED Talk about public speaking Journal entry on chapters 1-3 Go over "dictionary" terms for the novel Read chapter 4 TUESDAY Students will use the PVLEGS rubric for speeches to grade a speech on TED. This will give students a deeper understanding of how they will be graded on their speeches this Thursday. Listen to and discuss chapters 5-7 WEDNESDAY Work on root words "anthrop/hum" Groups read chapters 8-9, work on discussion points, summarize their thoughts Begin making connections to the book and real life THURSDAY SPEECH DAY! FRIDAY Half day - 4th, 5th, 6th hours only Week of 5/16/16 MONDAY Pre-reading activity to frame The Giver: understanding bias and the concept of identity Historical informational paper: work with a peer to edit using editing form TUESDAY Work on anthrop/hum root words Make changes based on peer suggestions from yesterday WEDNESDAY Pre-reading activity to frame The Giver: "rules/activities and choices" Book trailer Interview with Lois Lowry, author of The Giver THURSDAY Write Around - groups add to prompts and pass around Listen to story, create a title for it based on what you believe is the central idea FRIDAY 5 minute journal entry and share Begin reading The Giver, chapter 1-3 Week of 5/9/16 MONDAY M-Step ELA block for 1st/5th hours TUESDAY M-Step ELA block for 2nd/6th hours WEDNESDAY Block 1st/5th hours Finish rough drafts of historical event paper. Students should look for eye witness accounts, images, graphs, etc. Revise/edit, make sure sentences are varied, rich words are used, and the content is interesting to your audience. Begin making an outline to help with your presentation: bullet-ed outline, Prezi, PowerPoint, etc. THURSDAY Block 2nd/6th hours Finish rough drafts of historical event paper. Students should look for eye witness accounts, images, graphs, etc. Revise/edit, make sure sentences are varied, rich words are used, and the content is interesting to your audience. Begin making an outline to help with your presentation: bullet-ed outline, Prezi, PowerPoint, etc. FRIDAY Root word: anthro Continue working on historical informational paper and prezi/powerpoint to go along with speech Week of 5/2/16 MONDAY Writing the intro about their historical event/informational writing Hook preview summary without giving away details TUESDAY What makes a solid informational body paragraph? I will model an example, share structure of the paragraph, and students begin their body paragraphs. WEDNESDAY Drawing text details: as students listen to a poem, they will pull out the important details that support the title, and then they will determine the author's purpose. What is it really about? What's the author's purpose or message? Individuals will share with a partner and then get into groups to read interpretations and share drawings. What is the metaphor behind the poem? THURSDAY Prezi on text structure with quiz afterwards Class activity on pulling supporting details from paragraphs FRIDAY M-Step review Week of 4/25/16 MONDAY Root word charades "I have, who has" - antonyms Video journaling Finish poetry from Thursday TUESDAY Write summary of research on historical event Reading strategy: evaluate evidence from the text that supports the claim WEDNESDAY Time Magazine article: The Giggle Prescription - identifying and analyzing text features Journal entry Questions in response to reading - using text evidence and supporting details THURSDAY root word "hypo" quiz Listening lessons FRIDAY Informational text structure: students take notes on the 6 different types of text structure and then participate in an interactive quiz. Week of 4/18/16 MONDAY Devising research questions to be used on Tuesday and Wednesday research time Practice writing research questions with a group on the Hurricane Katrina historical account Root word practice for "hypo" TUESDAY Research historical event using research question and information questions devised in class. WEDNESDAY Research historical event using research question and information questions devised in class. THURSDAY Earth Day poetry writing Ecological footprint online activity FRIDAY Drug Ed. Week of 4/11/16 MONDAY Last day of spring break No school TUESDAY Introduce Informational Writing unit - students will be researching historical events that impacted the United States and then choose one to write about. We will brainstorm different events, discuss the requirements, and parameters. Journal writing Lesson on chronological text structure - students take notes Root word: hypo WEDNESDAY Descriptive writing and summary writing examples and activity Historical Account close reading on Hurricane Katrina THURSDAY Root word activity Day 1 of research: students will use laptops to begin research the historical event of their choice using research guidelines. FRIDAY Historical Account close reading on Hurricane Katrina Root word: hypo Week of 3/28/16 MONDAY Root word vocabulary practice Multiple composition journal entries to frame the story, All Summer in a Day: opinion, setting, vocabulary, and inference TUESDAY Root word practice "I have, who has" Making a connection: class activity on how it feels to be an outsider Read All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury Students will do direct characterization, understanding fiction structure using a graphic organizer, and answer questions using text evidence. WEDNESDAY Quiz: root word "hyper" Extension/enrichment activity on All Summer in a Day THURSDAY Guest speaker for social studies End of Winter Olympics FRIDAY SPRING BREAK BEGINS!!! Week of 3/21/16 MONDAY Introduction to informational writing unit. TUESDAY Skill: root word "hyper" work Proof: affect and effect WEDNESDAY AOW - article of the week I will frame with text with a class discussion about current sickness in our school. Students will then listen to an article, they will read it a second time "with a pen" (annotating), and finally they will respond critically to text dependent questions. THURSDAY Professional Development day - no school for students FRIDAY Good Friday - no school Week of 3/14/16 MONDAY NWEA for 1st and 5th hours ELA block schedule TUESDAY NWEA for 2nd and 6th hours ELA block schedule WEDNESDAY Video journal response Poetry analysis: Limericks - examples, rhyme scheme, write their own THURSDAY Block schedule for 1st and 5th hours skill: deciphering between fact and opinion Informational reading: Ireland: Land of Surprises - answer text-dependent questions, argumentative response Figurative language practice Introduce new root word: hyper FRIDAY Block schedule for 2nd and 6th hours skill: deciphering between fact and opinion Informational reading: Ireland: Land of Surprises - answer text-dependent questions, argumentative response Figurative language practice Introduce new root word: hyper Week of 3/7/16 MONDAY Share and discuss journal entries from Friday. Go over informative AOW (Article of the Week) on Bald Eagles and importance of the structure. Focus lessons: point of view and dialogue TUESDAY Shakespeare's Sonnet 18: analyze, understand iambic pentameter, and rhyme scheme Students create their own sonnet WEDNESDAY Skill: Brain Food - developing a vocabulary through exposure to new words Individual Follow-up activity: "Don't Be Such a Borf" - finding unknown words and using context clues to help determine meaning. Group "contest" for Word Attack THURSDAY Understanding informational text including text structure, style, bias, and inferences. Poetry analysis: Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost Focus lessons: flashback and foreshadowing FRIDAY Online NWEA prep quizzes and activities. Skill-based activity: "Driving Good Reading" Students will make a list of strategies they employed to read and answer questions correctly. Groups will determine quality test-taking strategies. Week of 2/29/16 MONDAY Finish mono/uni sketch activity Poetry scavenger hunt TUESDAY Finish poetry scavenger hunt WEDNESDAY Skill: metaphors and their usage in poetry. Read two versions of Oranges by Gary Soto. One version has the metaphors removed and students will analyze the effect the metaphors have and the importance of using metaphors. Students will understand the use of connotation, poetic structure, and imagery in this particular poem. THURSDAY Poetry analysis FRIDAY Quiz over root words mono/uni AOW - Article of the Week: informational text on Bald Eagles with critical thinking questions Week of 2/22/16 MONDAY Last day to work on the argumentative paper. This paper is due on Wednesday. TUESDAY The Lazy Editor: practice looking for spellcheck errors, which vs. that, and serial commas WEDNESDAY Skill: connotation/denotation - examples and practice Skill: introduce new root "mono" THURSDAY NWEA - language usage standardized test FRIDAY Proof: who's and whose Work on root words Week of 2/15/16 MONDAY Mid-Winter Break TUESDAY Review which websites are credible sources and which are not Laptops to research background information to start the argumentative paragraph Last chance to research your candidate WEDNESDAY Rough draft: background information or anecdote Skill: transition words THURSDAY Continue with rough draft of paragraph Edit looking for transition words, rich words, and sentence structure FRIDAY Identify the types of evidence you used in your paragraph and how it supports your claim Week of 2/8/16 MONDAY Quiz over root vocabulary words for contra/counter Last day to research candidates for argumentative writing TUESDAY Understanding argumentative writing terms and concepts using an anchor chart. Take a Stand activity and then exit ticket is to create a mini paragraph that combines their claim and evidence from one of the items in the Take a Stand activity. WEDNESDAY Evidence Types: anecdotal and factual; go over examples, answer challenge question in journal Name That Evidence worksheet and discussion. Evidence Types Mini-Task Models of argumentative writing THURSDAY Proof: affect Article of the Week (AOW) - read argumentative article and identify the claim, anecdotal evidence, factual evidence, and the types of each. FRIDAY Professional Development Day - no students Week of 2/1/16 MONDAY Mini debate to prepare for argumentative unit: Should Kids Get Paid to Do Chores? students will read two different arguments, find central ideas/claims, evidence, and understand each counterargument. TUESDAY Write a response to the articles from yesterday and give opinion. Share argumentative paragraphs with a partner and then the partner will report what they heard. Finally, debate the issue. Root words: last practice activity/game for contra/counter WEDNESDAY Snow Day THURSDAY Research presidential candidates, narrow down to two, and then narrow down to one. This candidate will be researched for future argumentative writing. FRIDAY Continue with research on laptops. Week of 1/25/16 MONDAY Group/individual activity on the importance of reading: Fighting Poverty - interpreting infographics, writing thesis statement, making connections with cause/effect, and THINKING CRITICALLY. Review new root word terms for contra/counter TUESDAY Root skill: learning activity for contra/counter in groups Using an infograph to read between the lines and make inferences: What does it say? What does it not say? WEDNESDAY Poetry and deeper reading: The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens - read, listen to NPR reading of poem, interpret, analyze THURSDAY Proof: Me/I - understanding when to use "and me" or "and I" Narrative perspective: review what we know, prove understanding with reading selections #1 and #2 Petoskey News Review article: read, give new title, 17 word summary, and find literary terms. FRIDAY Read "Accident" by Dave Eggers once. Read it the second time looking at it from the teenagers' perspective. How did changing the perspective effect the shape of the text and story? Collaborate with a partner and determine, share with another group, and then answer critical thinking questions. Week of 1/18/16 MONDAY watch the Westing Game movie TUESDAY Follow-up journal entry on the movie and book Skill: introduce new root words - counter/contra and practice work with vocabulary words Proof: apostrophes - contractions WEDNESDAY WESTING GAME CHARACTER ANALYSIS IS DUE TODAY - 60 POINTS Review types of characters (flat, static, dynamic, round) to complete the character analysis Writing a reflection paper: they say/I say Proof: apostrophes - possessions THURSDAY Proof: apostrophes - plurals Practice time for root (counter/contra) vocabulary FRIDAY Professional Development Day - No School for students Week of 1/11/16 MONDAY Proof: proper adjective - explain, model, show comprehension Continue reading The Westing Game TUESDAY Skill: What is the book saying and what is it NOT saying - inferences, predictions, connections Continue reading The Westing Game WEDNESDAY Article of the Week: 8 Interesting Things We Learned About our Brains in 2015 - read, annotate, write reflection Continue reading The Westing Game THURSDAY Finish The Westing Game . . . OH MY GOSH!! Together, we will discuss the end and all of the connections, update Character Analysis for the end of the book. Continue annotating your AOW FRIDAY Focus groups will dissect the characters based on the end and their Character Analysis. Week of 1/4/16 MONDAY Westing Game character review quiz Summarizing skills: write summary of given chapter, share and compare with a partner, and then reduce to a 17 word summary of the most important events. Take book home if you are not done with 15-17 from before break! TUESDAY Introduce new root words: contra/counter Read chapters WEDNESDAY Spelling Bee - classroom competition to find a winner and runner up THURSDAY Proof: Capitalization Listen to chapters 19-20 FRIDAY Update Character Analysis Literary skill: reinforcing the skill of understanding Point of View from before break Read chapters 21-23 Week of 12/14/15 MONDAY Review the past few chapters of the Westing Game and update our character analysis Read Chapters 12-14, together. Quiz tomorrow over chapters 11-14 TUESDAY Vocabulary activity Skill: point of view Kahoot WEDNESDAY Quiz over chapters 11-14 Read chapters 15-17, on their own THURSDAY Vocabulary activity Read chapters 18-19 Update Character Analysis FRIDAY Twenty-minute switches due to the Madrigals performance Week of 12/7/15 MONDAY Skill: finish tele definitions and make root tree Listen to chapters 6-7, update character analysis TUESDAY Hand out and go over the response to reading questions for chapters 6-9 Read chapters 8 on your own Work on questions independently WEDNESDAY Motif connections and prediction paragraph Skill: Point of view - different types, examples, and focus on 3rd person omniscient Read chapters 9-10 in a group THURSDAY Students will write a paragraph using text evidence to make predictions about who is the thief and who is the mistake in The Westing Game. Listen to chapters 11-13 on laptops. FRIDAY We will spend time working on our Character Analysis and focusing on the clues and how the character may be changing. Proof: to Read together chapters 14-15 Week of 11/30/15 MONDAY Finish and share Thanksgiving writing Skill: introduce new root word - tele Composition journal on "dares" to begin discussion on The Westing Game Background information on the mystery genre TUESDAY Character and Characterization: students take notes as I explain the different types of characters and how authors use characterization to enhance their writing. Assign FOCUS GROUPS for The Westing Game Anticipation Guide: pre-reading T/F predictions about the book but students must be prepared to defend their position WEDNESDAY 25 minute classes to accommodate all the band kids Students will use laptops to work on their root word (tele) and to make their "root trees" THURSDAY Proof: "too" Assign and explain the Character Analysis Begin reading The Westing Game FRIDAY Continue reading through chapter 5 quiz online over chapters 1-5 Add to the Character Analysis Week of 11/23/15 MONDAY Skill: inferences I have, who has . . . for main ideas. This will serve as front-loading, or introduction, to improving our topic sentences. Topic sentences: explain, give examples, and practice how to write topic sentences Then, students will look at their journal entries from Veterans Day and re-write their topic sentences TUESDAY Thanksgiving writing: students will be given 5 options to choose from (tweets, informative writing, creative writing, argumentative, etc.) in which they will create a writing piece, each with specific requirements. WEDNESDAY NO SCHOOL THURSDAY HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY! FRIDAY NO SCHOOL Week of 11/16/15 MONDAY Finish writing S.M.A.R.T. goals Kahoot quiz over root words phobia/phile Monkey's Paw: explain and discuss the idea behind cliff hangers, which literary devices are in the story and how to identify begin reading "with a pencil" (annotating to decode unknown words) focus during reading: foreshadowing, theme, irony TUESDAY Monkey's Paw: continue reading begin text dependent questions WEDNESDAY Skill: topic sentences Finish reading story Go over student annotations and vocabulary words that they missed Continue working on text dependent questions THURSDAY Proof: they're Class questions on Monkey's Paw: foreshadowing, antagonist, setting, motif, theme Watch The Monkey's Paw FRIDAY Video journal #3 in composition journals and journal entry on our proofs. Skill: inferences Independent reading log filled in for the week. Week of 11/9/15 MONDAY Skill: Phobia/phile practice sentences. "Where Do You Stand?" I read half of a memoir as students follow along, noting elements of memoir. Students are then asked to voice their opinion with support on Padlet. After discussing with their classmates, students read the ending and then show text evidence from the beginning that could have lead to the correct conclusion. Introduce "Kahoot" formative assessment website and do a "there, they're, their" practice game on it TUESDAY Skill: literary terms - foreshadowing What is it? Why is it important to understand? How can I pick out examples? Examples in class and then students practice identifying foreshadowing Students will research about Kyle Prue (award-winning teen author and guest speaker this week) by going to his website, checking out the dropbox, and taking his book quiz online. Composition journal: The idea behind destiny and free will is analyzed WEDNESDAY Proof: their Composition journal: Using what they learned from their "proof", students will write Veterans Day paragraphs. I am looking for details, proper use of "there, their, they're" , and topic sentence. THURSDAY Guest author: Kyle Prue visits! Skill: practice work on phobia/phile FRIDAY Skill: composition journal writing on destiny and free will as pre-reading for The Monkey's Paw. Paragraphs must have a topic sentence and details to support opinion. Writing: S.M.A.R.T. goals for this new marking period Week of 11/2/15 MONDAY Skill: "phobos" and "philia" activity for vocabulary words - interactive prezi and then work in journal Proofs: "they're" and "there" and fill out grammar chart TUESDAY Skill: Figuratively Speaking powerpoint and then figurative language wrap-up activity as a class Laptops: figurative language online activities WEDNESDAY Professional Development Day - no students THURSDAY Legend of Sleepy Hollow Skill: finding text evidence Collaboration: close reading questions FRIDAY Skill: Review Plot with an example in class. Why do we need to know this? Collaboration: Elements of plot in groups for "Monsters are Due . . " Individuals complete a plot chart based on their current independent reading book Week of 10/26/15 MONDAY Watch Twilight Zone episode for Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (20 minutes) Take test over Monsters play TUESDAY Finish Monsters test Skill: introduce new root word "phobia" and "philia", students take notes in their journal WEDNESDAY Skill: Context clues - journal writing, nonsense words in sentences, context clues quiz Root word sentences THURSDAY Teacher Think Aloud - I model how to actively and consciously read; discuss my strategies and then students try Skill: Partner Think Aloud - students read and discuss two very short stories to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it FRIDAY Students watch and take notes on a Ted Talk episode: "Grit" by Angela Duckworth Skill: Composition journal reflection on the Ted Talk; pair and share Week of 10/19/15 MONDAY Skill: "mal" root word sentences and review Go over vocabulary for "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" Assign parts, and begin reading TUESDAY Skill: "Mal" root word quiz Continue reading "Monsters" play Literary Analysis WEDNESDAY Conflict in drama Finish reading "Monsters" play THURSDAY Skill: metaphors/hyperbole/similes Test over "Monsters", literary terms, and vocabulary FRIDAY Skill: Week of 10/12/15 MONDAY Review dialogue in memoirs, strong beginnings Skill: transition words Work on rough draft of memoir TUESDAY Finish rough draft Skill: adding relevant detail, excellent endings WEDNESDAY Peer editing for transition words, missing details, rich word choice Type final draft or continue to work on rough THE MEMOIR IS DUE ON FRIDAY BUT THERE WILL BE NO MORE CLASS TIME AFTER TODAY THURSDAY Video journal #2 Skill: root word "mal" mix up activity and word usage FRIDAY Skill: root word "mal" I have . . . who has activity Introduce Drama/Teleplay unit: elements of drama, theme, important vocabulary, pre/during/post reading strategies Journal entry: "fear" quote from FDR Week of 10/5/15 MONDAY Go over Scope assignments - Catch up time on work not complete last Friday "Choices Made" - pair/share and partner reflection TUESDAY Video journal entry Skill: Introduce Greek root word: mal define, explain, give examples, and take notes in back of journal "My Map Book" - read and explain how to use it for brainstorming memoir topics Begin creating their own memoir map WEDNESDAY Fabulous First Line contest: share and explain contest. Amazing first lines in memoirs - read examples and students practice writing first lines to 5 of their possible memoir topics; Students finish their own map of possible memoir topics in their journal and then narrow down THURSDAY Homeroom 7-5 and 7-6 go to Camp Daggett today! Dress for inclement weather and YOU MUST have a sack lunch! FRIDAY Skill: Quotations and dialogue Students will learn and practice how to use dialogue in their memoir. Week of 9/28/15 MONDAY "I Have, Who Has" synonyms; Begin Six word memoirs - explain idea behind, show samples, students write one about the memoir we just read; TUESDAY Write 8-10 six word memoirs and then illustrate one on a PowerPoint slide. WEDNESDAY Imagery/motif - analyze a poem THURSDAY Memoir: Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan - read, take notes using guidelines, and find evidence in memoir that support the point of view of "light" (evidence can be inferences or actual written evidence) FRIDAY Scope Magazine - Lazy Editor Week of 9/21/15 MONDAY NWEA for two hour block: 1st hour takes it during 1st and 2nd hours 5th hour takes it during 5th and 6th hours TUESDAY NWEA for two hour block: 2nd hour takes it during 1st and 2nd hours 6th hour takes it during 5th and 6th hours WEDNESDAY Block schedule again: 1st and 5th hours Finish "An American Childhood", answer questions, choose a section in the story and change the tone of the writing. Greek/Latin Root word presentation - students take notes. THURSDAY Block schedule again: 2nd and 6th hours Finish "An American Childhood", answer questions, choose a section in the story and change the tone of the writing. Greek/Latin Root word presentation - students take notes. FRIDAY Take Greek/Latin quiz over presentation from yesterday, using notes. Week of 9/14/15 MONDAY Adding detail and rich words to cause/effect paper; personalize composition journals TUESDAY Greek & Latin root word pre-test; Begin Memoir Unit: difference between 5 elements; begin “Teen Memoirs” online WEDNESDAY Finish “Teen Memoirs” online; peer memoir interview THURSDAY Journal entry; synonym activity FRIDAY Difference between autobiography and memoir; what is tone and examples of how changing the tone can effect a writing piece; Begin reading“An American Childhood” |
