Daily work and Assignments
Plans may change, depending on class progress and mastery of content.  Please check to see if plans changed or were updated.

  We independent read every day for 10 minutes!!
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Week of 3/9/20
MONDAY  
Warm-up:   reflection on last week, go over word work from Friday 
Skill-builder:  writing prompt - Sibling Dynamics
​Lesson:  Poetry - metaphors

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:   independent reading focus - which character is dynamic?
Skill-builder:  

​Lesson:  

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus -
Skill-builder:  
​Lesson:  
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - 
Skill-builder:  

Lesson:  

​FRIDAY 
Avalanche Bay  ​




Week of 3/2/20

MONDAY  
Warm-up:    grammar links
Skill-builder:  finish and discuss reading exercise 1 from Friday
​Lesson:  Poetry - theme (continued from last week) using The Horror by Dave Eggers 

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:   independent reading focus - synopsis
Skill-builder:  proof - than and then,  and a follow-up practice sheet

​Lesson:  quiz over sent/sens root words

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - find a than or then sentence and do the proof (underline and write above it)
Skill-builder:  (word work handed out and due on Friday) new root words for hyper
​Lesson:  practice activity for hyper words 
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - synopsis or summary of what they read today
Skill-builder:  assessment over than/then

Lesson:  argumentative writing prompt on coronavirus 

​FRIDAY 
warm-up:  word work due
​Skill-Builder:  grammar
Lesson:   ​argumentative writing promp on sibling rivalry



Week of 2/24/20
MONDAY  
Warm-up:    prepositions
Skill-builder:  prepositional phrase and modifiers
​Lesson: last day to work on informational writing - make sure to add the works cited page

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:   independent reading -  find 4 prepositional phrases in your reading today 
Skill-builder:  proof - colons

​Lesson:  sharing our informational writing

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  quiz over prepositions and prepositional phrases
Skill-builder:  practice activity for sent/sens
​Lesson:    Poetry - theme (continued from last week) using The Horror by Dave Eggers 
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading - 
Skill-builder:  

Lesson:  Ascent from Harvey Daniels - lesson on listening, visualizing text, theme

​FRIDAY 
warm-up:  
​Skill-Builder:  reading skills - Exercise 1 Listening and When All Else Fails
Lesson:   ​Ascent from Harvey Daniels - lesson on listening, visualizing text, theme
​



Week of 2/18/20
MONDAY  
​No school

TUESDAY 
Skill-builder:  Poetry - theme
​Lesson:  Invasive Species writing

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading - where are you in the plot diagram?  
Skill-builder:  new root words - sent/sens
​Lesson:   Invasive Species informational writing 
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading - make a prediction about what will happen next
Lesson:  print informational paper, code it for:  hook, topic sentences, embedded quotes.  Then shoulder partners will trade and finish coding

​FRIDAY 
warm-up:  prepositional phrases
​Skill-Builder:  prepositional phrases
Lesson:   ​Invasive Species informational writing
​



Week of 2/10/20
MONDAY  
​Warm-up:    grammar links - Fragments! and Fragments and Run-Ons
​Skill-builder:  
Lesson:  poetry - alliteration (what it is, examples, how to spot it, the reason behind it) as a group and then put it into writing

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:   independent reading - finding alliteration in our reading 
Skill-builder:  continue alliterative paragraphs
​Lesson:  Invasive Species unit continued - "experts" finish their sharing of information

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading - 9 word summary
Skill-builder:  proof - commas in a series
​Lesson:   Invasive Species informational writing - introduce and explain the outline
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading - which character do you have something in common with and what is it?
Lesson:  Invasive Species informational writing- embedding quotations in our writing; citing sources

​FRIDAY 
warm-up:  
​Skill-Builder:  
Lesson:   ​Invasive Species informational writing
​


Week of 2/3/20
MONDAY  
​Warm-up:  grammar links  
​Skill-builder:  new root words - anthro/hum
Lesson:  poetry - Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  fragment and run-on sentence practice 
Skill-builder:  proof - sentence wringer
​Lesson:  Introduce and begin unit on informative writing "Invasive Species"

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading
Skill-builder:  practice activity for antrho/hum - breaking down our long vocabulary words based on their root meanings
​Lesson:   Students choose which invasive species article they will be analyzing and becoming the experts on; read and annotate
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading
Skill-builder:   "friendly" competition to practice new root vocabulary words
Lesson:  Invasive species groups get together and share their ideas and thoughts on their article to increase awareness

​FRIDAY 
warm-up:  
​Skill-Builder:  
Lesson:   "Experts" go to different groups and teach their peers about their invasive species; students take notes in a chart




Week of 1/27/20
MONDAY  
​Warm-up:  grammar links - "Boom" sentence fragments, 
​Skill-builder:  analogy battleship
Lesson:  poetry - understanding diction in writing.  The Piano (mentor text) and Dream Deferred (student text)

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading - new reading logs and new goals
Skill-builder:  proof - joining sentences illegally
​Lesson:  root word practice for miss/mit/mitt

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading
Skill-builder:  quiz over root word vocabulary
​Lesson:   Article of the Week (AOW) students read and annotate an article and then use text evidence to respond
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading
Skill-builder:   
Lesson:  continue AOW

​FRIDAY 
warm-up:  fragments
​Skill-Builder:  
Lesson:   mentor text for informative writing




Week of 1/20/20
MONDAY  
​Warm-up:  grammar links - appositives
​Skill-builder:  add miss/mit/mitt root words to year-long PP
Lesson:  poetry - understanding diction in writing.  The Piano (mentor text) and Dream Deferred (student text)

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading
Skill-builder:  proof - joining sentences legally
​Lesson:  Practice understanding conflict and characterization, as a class

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading
Skill-builder:  partners practice miss/mit/mitt 
​Lesson:   read Thank You, M'am out loud, as a second read; conflict and characterization in Thank You, M'am
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading
Skill-builder:  review game for miss/mit/mitt
Lesson:  characterization

​FRIDAY 
Skill-Builder:  "I have, who has . . ."
Lesson:   assessment over conflict/characterization



Week of 1/13/20
MONDAY  
​Warm-up:  grammar links - phrases and clauses (listen, take notes on note sheet, take quiz)
​Skill-builder:  add mono/uni root words to year-long PP
Lesson:  

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - finding a fabulous independent clause
Skill-builder:  proof -commas in appositives
​Lesson:  groups sort through paragraphs of a non-fiction article to determine the order (thinking about what makes a good conclusion, transitions used, what makes a solid intro, etc)

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - synopsis
Skill-builder:  quiz over mono/uni
​Lesson:   Using the non-fiction article from yesterday, students will analyze and use text evidence to respond critically in writing
 
THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - making predictions
Skill-builder:  new root words
Lesson:  editing the writing response from the article, using student volunteers' papers.

​FRIDAY 
Skill-Builder:  grammar - appositives
Lesson:   scaffolding/+pre-reading activities for Thank You, M'am by Langston Hughes


​

Week of 12/16/19
MONDAY  
Warm-up:  follow up practice sheet for FANBOYS
Skill-builder:  using what we learned about types of conflict, students will determine the different types of conflict in the play, Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.
​Lesson:  Symbolism - we work through an interactive PP and then students collaborate to analyze two poems:  The Road Not Taken and Mother to Son.

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - synopsis
Skill-builder:  proof - prepositions
​Lesson:  follow-up lesson and practice with symbolism

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - synopsis
Skill-builder:  new vocabulary words for the roots mono/uni
​Lesson:  reading reasons - word attack (breaking down unknown words using roots and context clues)

THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - 
Skill-builder:  mono/uni scene! 
​
​FRIDAY 
Skill-Builder:  phrases/clauses 2.2-2.4
Lesson:  Christmas grammar and punctuation



Week of 12/9/19
MONDAY  
Warm-up:  grammar links online​ - subject/predicate 2, there/their practice (ELA Links)
Skill-builder:  add new root words to PP
​Lesson:  catch-up on "poem of address", Charles Story Analysis, Communism pre-reading activity.

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - infer something about the antagonist
Skill-builder:  proof - conjunctions/FANBOYS
​Lesson:  assign speaking parts to Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up: types of conflict
Skill-builder:  root word practice for counter/contra - table competitions 
​Lesson:  Begin reading the play Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

THURSDAY
Warm-up:  Kahoot review for vocabulary words (Thank you, Summer!)
Skill-builder:  quiz over counter/contra words
​Lesson:  Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
​
​FRIDAY 
Warm-up:  clauses and phrases 2.2-2.3
Skill-Builder:  
Lesson:  Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
​​




Week of 12/2/19
MONDAY  
​Skill-builder:  new root words for counter/contra
​Lesson:  Poetry - personification and "poems of address" using Crumble!; brainstorm possible topics for tomorrow

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - infer something about the antagonist
Skill-builder:  proof - our/are
​Lesson:  further examples and explanation on "poems of address" and then students will write their own poem.

WEDNESDAY  - shortened schedule to accommodate band students
Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is the author's purpose for writing this story?
​Lesson:  review Charles from last week and walk through what a story analysis is.  Then, do a story analysis on Charles.

THURSDAY
Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is the current mood of your book?
Skill-builder:  Practice activity in groups for counter/contra words
​Lesson:  finish story analysis as a group and then finish your "poem of address"
​
​FRIDAY 
Warm-up:  clauses and phrases notes and discussion
Skill-Builder:  clauses and phrases practice
Lesson:  Building schema and pre-reading for the play we will read next week.  This involves research into communism/McCarthyism, other modern-day examples of hysteria.



Week of 11/25/19
MONDAY  
Warm-up:   update roots PowerPoint
​Skill-builder:   AAAWWUBBIS practice
​Lesson:  writing "thank-you" letters

TUESDAY - half day
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - who is the protagonist?  Who is the antagonist?
Skill-builder:  watch video clip and then write about the theme; English skills competition

WEDNESDAY  
Thanksgiving break - no school

THURSDAY
Thanksgiving break - no school
​
​FRIDAY 
Thanksgiving break - no school



Week of 11/18/19
MONDAY  
Warm-up:  create new slide for graph/gram root words, including a graphic for each
​Skill-builder:  grammar links - "commas after beginning phrases/clauses" as a follow-up to last week's proof
​Lesson:  Poetry - personification

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - what problem is the main character facing right now?
Skill-builder:  proof - AAAWWWUBBIS mnemonic for several common subordinating conjunctions
​Lesson:  Poetry - continue with personification using poetry

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is the most vivid thing you visualized today in your reading?
Skill-builder:  root word practice for graph/gram words
​Lesson:  Charles, by  Shirley Jackson in our literature books - pre-writing, characterization (static/dynamic/round/flat)

THURSDAY
Warm-up: independent reading focus - Who is the protagonist?  Who is the antagonist?
Skill-builder:  review activity and then quiz over graph/gram root words
​Lesson:  read Charles
​
​FRIDAY 
Warm-up:  AAAWWWUBBIS song :) and practice activity
Skill-Builder:  Charles short story analysis
Lesson:  constructed writing response on Charles



Week of 11/4/19
MONDAY
Warm-up:  add "phobia/phile" words to year-long PP  
Skill-builder:  new grammar logs and begin with
​Lesson:  imagery, connotation/denotation, and analyzing tone in two different poems:  Cockroaches

TUESDAY 
Warm-up:  independent reading and new logs - write a reading goal for this MP
Skill-builder:  proof - a lot
​Lesson:  Reflecting on our scary stories and determining how it fits into the plot diagram

WEDNESDAY  
Drug Education 

THURSDAY
Warm-up: independent reading focus - write a reading goal for the 2nd MP
Skill-builder:  Root word practice activity for phobia/phile and then assessment
​Lesson:  intro to mysteries - constructed response to writing prompt on "destiny and free will" to lead us into the story we will read; 3 wishes and how they could backfire.
​
​FRIDAY 
Warm-up:  go over phobia/phile homework
Skill-Builder:  assessment over phobia/phile vocaulary words
Lesson:  scaffolding for our story and then begin reading aloud The Monkey's Paw


Week of 10/28/19
MONDAY
Warm-up:  add "phobia/phile" words to year-long PP  
​Lesson:  working on your memoir drafts

TUESDAY 
Skill-builder:  Imagery - analyzing sensory imagery in the poem Good Hot Dogs by Sandra Cisneros
​Lesson:  Writing scary stories - elements of the plot diagram, characteristics of a scary story, brainstorming descriptive writing, begin writing

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - synopsis
Skill-builder:  root word practice activity for phobia/phile
​Lesson:  continue writing their scary story

THURSDAY
Warm-up: reading short, scary stories out loud to the class - What do you notice?  What did the author do to create the atmosphere?  What writing moves do the authors make to create suspense?
Skill-builder:  mad libs for parts of speech
​Lesson:   scary stories

​FRIDAY 
no school - professional development day




Week of 10/21/19
MONDAY
Warm-up:  add "mis" words to year-long PP
Skill-builder:   adjectives link - focus on being mindful of strong adjectives in our writing
​Lesson:  Poetry lesson - as we continue to understand tone/mood, we will be discussing connotation and denotation of words

TUESDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - what is the tone and mood of your story?
Skill-builder:  proof - were/we're/where
​Lesson:  connotation and denotation . . . continued

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus - make an inference about the main character and be ready to share
Skill-builder:  practice activity for our "mis" root words
​Lesson:  narrowing down our choices for our memoir topic; great beginnings in memoirs; how to develop a "hook" in our writing

THURSDAY
Warm-up: independent reading focus - who is telling the story?  Who is the protagonist?  Antagonist?  
​Lesson:   ending a memoir lesson (bad and good endings); continue writing your memoir

​FRIDAY 
Warm-up:  continued practice with dialogue
Skill-builder:  new root words for "phile/phobia"
​Lesson:  personalizing our spirals



Week of 10/14/19
MONDAY
Skill-builder:  frayer a memoir from Friday 
​Lesson:  Tone and Mood lesson as it pertains to poetry - students take notes in their spiral

TUESDAY
Warm-up:  everyone must add a pic to their mal root words; grammar links online skills review their/they're/there/who's/whose
​Lesson:  Six word memoirs interview and begin creating their own six word memoir

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  quiz over "mal" words 
Skill-builder:  new root words for "mis"
​Lesson:  Six Word Memoirs - show examples, interview, write a few

THURSDAY
Warm-up: independent reading focus - what is your favorite part of this book?
​Lesson:    Six word memoir - continue creating and then make a google slide

​FRIDAY - half day
Skill-builder:  intro to dialogue - comparing paragraphs, rules of dialogue
​Lesson:  video journal #1 - watch and write a constructed response



Week of 10/7/19
MONDAY
​Warm-up:  GRIT by Angela Duckworth - students will listen to this TEDTalk, take notes, and write a constructed response in their journals.
Skill-builder:  Grammar links online - who vs whom (based on our proof from last week)
​Lesson:  begin Tone and Mood lesson as it pertains to poetry

TUESDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  make a prediction about what will happen next in your book.
Skill-builder:  analogies - students take notes from a presentation and then apply this knowledge to their word work
​Lesson:  We will read Alexie Sherman's memoir, Superman and Me.

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  Was your prediction from yesterday correct?  If yes, add what else happened.  If no, what happened instead of your prediction.
​Lesson:  Scholastic Teen Memoirs online - choose any two, read, answer questions in Google Classroom

THURSDAY
Warm-up: Proof - who's/whose
Skill-builder: practice activity for mal vocabulary words (I have, who has . .  .); quiz over the "mal" vocabulary words
​Lesson:    Frayer a memoir - Chance Encounter

​FRIDAY
​Warm-up:   independent reading focus:  What challenges does your main character face?
Skill-builder:  15 minute memoir write using one of the writing territories we created
​Lesson:  Frayer a memoir -  Mimi Freeman



Week of 9/30/19
MONDAY
​Warm-up:  add mal root words to year-long slide show
Skill-builder:  Grammar links online - spelling practice
​Lesson:  norms for learning

TUESDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  what genre is your book and how do you know that?
Skill-builder:  proof - who/whom
​Lesson:  An American Childhood questions - tables will be assigned one question and each table member will write their own response.  They will share their responses and then determine the best way to share to the whole class.  

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  what challenges does your main character face?
Skill-builder:  practice activity for mal vocabulary words
​Lesson:  

THURSDAY - same as yesterday but with other two homerooms due to camp daggett
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  
Skill-builder: 
​Lesson:    

​FRIDAY
​Warm-up:  Tables will share their constructed responses to An American Childhood.  We will try to guess the question, based on the answer, and point out text evidence.
Skill-builder:  make sure Complete Sentences 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 are finished
​Lesson:  Google Classroom - Restating the Question





Week of 9/23/19
MONDAY
​Warm-up:  introduce year-long root word PowerPoint; students create their first slide for aqua/hydro
Skill-builder:  Grammar links online - complete sentences
​Lesson:  Elements of a Complete Sentence

TUESDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  what is it about this book that keeps you reading it?
Skill-builder:  proof - to, too, two
​Lesson: What is a memoir?  Introduction to our memoir unit in which students will read memoirs and then write their own.  We begin with reading An American Childhood

WEDNESDAY  
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  what is the P.O.V. of this book and how do you know?
Skill-builder:  aquarium "gallery walk" with constructed feedback; quiz over aqua and hydro words
​Lesson:  An American Childhood close reading (I dive into the elements of the story that make it a memoir)

THURSDAY
Warm-up:  independent reading focus:  what is something important you have learned about your character?
Skill-builder:  new root words for "mal"
​Lesson:  brainstorming list of stories you could write about; wrap up An American Childhood with reflection questions  

​FRIDAY
​Warm-up:  Elements of a Complete Sentence 1.3 and 1.4
​Lesson:  writing territories - pick a few and begin writing a first draft



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
​Wrap-up hour:  students will work on their "disaster poem", cause/effect writing, and their aquarium.



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”
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