Mrs. Abrams: April 2006

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April 28, 2006

Wednesday, May 10

Materials:
Literature pg. 664-665

Warm Up:
I just heard this morning that the state of Georgia will be extending the school day beginning this August. Write a paragraph explaining your response to this issue.

Activity 1:
Share warm-up responses with the students at your table.

Activity 2:
Play the game of “Gossip.”

Activity 3:
Your emotional response to the warm up and the results of the “Gossip” game are similar to the characters in “The may 11 on Maple Street”.

Posted by Abrams at 04:13 PM

Tuesday, May 9

Warm Up:

Warm Up:
Share the completed open compare and contrast assignment (Nolan Ryan and Casey) in Think/Pair Share (walk with a partner around the room and share the information you thought about as you completed this asignment).

Activity 1:
Students will read their chapter book for 30 minutes focusing on 1 character to compare with themselves.

Activity 2:
Students will complete an open compare and contract assignment (their character and themselves). This will become the night write.

Reading:
Read for 30 minutes and record the following on their reading on your reading log:
Genre (fiction or nonfiction)
Date
Title
Reading level
Actual pages read (example 21-47)
Minutes read
One-sentence summary

Posted by Abrams at 04:07 PM

Monday, May 8

Literature – pg. 573-576
Newsprint
Markers

Warm Up:
What is the purpose of completing graphic organizers when reading nonfiction material?

Activity 1:
Go over the night write.
What are the special qualities that make Ryan different from other sports stars?

Activity 2:
Working in table groups, students will complete the following chart with facts learned about Nolan Ryan’s life.

Statement Source
Ryan holds almost 50 major league records. Author

Activity 3:
Complete Compare/Contrast Nolan and Casey. This is to be continued for night write.

Posted by Abrams at 03:58 PM

Friday, May 5

Materials:
Literature – pg. 573-576
Compare/Contrast Nolan Ryan and Student

Warm Up:
List 3 accomplishments of Nolan Ryan.

Activity 1:
Discuss “Nolan Ryan” pg. 573-576 answering the following:
1. Why is Nolan Ryan considered to be a “Texas Treasure”?
2. How do you know the 1st sentence of the 1st paragraph is a fact?
3. Looking at the picture on page 572, what does Ryan’s facial expression tell you about the act of pitching?
4. How do the ballplayers feel about Ryan?
5. Why is Nolan Ryan careful about what he eats?
6. Ryan is carried off the field after throwing his record-breaking 7th no-hitter. What details in the photo pn pg. 574 tell you this is a historic moment?
7. What details or words reveal the author’s bias?
8. Describe Ryan’s personality.

Activity 2:
Complete Compare/Contrast Nolan Ryan and Student

Today is the last day to turn in late work or genre charts.

Night Write:
What are the special qualities that make Ryan different from other sports stars?

Posted by Abrams at 03:57 PM

Thursday, May 4

Students will go to the media center, complete and turn in their genre chart (if they have not already done so) for a grade, report the total number of books read so far this year for a grade.

Posted by Abrams at 03:53 PM

Wednesday, May 3

Materials:
Literature – pg. 570-576

Warm Up:
Why are baseball players rated by their statistics?

Activity 1:
Read pg. 570 silently to find the answer to the warm-up question.

Activity 2:
Discuss the meaning of the following vocabulary:
Loaded words
Stereotypes
One-sided arguments
Generalization
Wholesome
Hostility
Endorsements
Obscure

Activity 3:
As a whole class discuss the elements of a biography (pg. 571)
Who is Nolan Ryan?

Activity 4:
Students are to read pg. 573-576 silently and answer the following:
What elements of the author’s bias are found in the biography?
Overall, is the author biased for or against Ryan Nolan? Explain.

Writing and Grammar books were collected.

Night Write:
If you did not finish answering the following in class, please do so as night write.
What elements of the author’s bias are found in the biography?
Overall, is the author biased for or against Ryan Nolan? Explain.

Bring Writing and Grammar book to turn in to me. Bring literature book to class on Wednesday to use in class.

Posted by Abrams at 03:51 PM

Monday, May 1

Materials:
“Casey At the Bat”
Numbered lines of the poem for echo reading
Baseball articles
“A League of Their Own”
“Introduction to the Poem”
“ Huge Commotion in Mudville’ – 5 sections
“Casey’s Revenge”
Newsprint

Warm Up:
Name several ways to summarize an article.

Activity 1:
Each table group will have 1 baseball article and complete a concept map including a 1-sentence summary (no more than 15 words).

Bring Writing and Grammar book to turn in to me. Bring literature book to class on Wednesday to use in class.

Have progress reports signed, if you have not already done so.

Night Write:
Complete the following:
Describe a concept map.
A concept map is beneficial to me because I can ___________________________________. I will be able to use concept maps when_________________________________________.

Homework:
Read for 30 minutes and record the following on their reading on your reading log:
Genre (fiction or nonfiction)
Date
Title
Reading level
Actual pages read (example 21-47)
Minutes read
One-sentence summary

Posted by Abrams at 03:47 PM

Tuesday, May 2

Warm Up:
What is the purpose of a concept map?

Activity 1:
Work on concept maps from baseball articles.

Activity 2:
Read your chapter book for 30 minutes and complete the following chart:
Question Response
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
So what

Bring Literature on Wednesday to use in class

Night Write:
Using the information you wrote on the chart in class, write a summary of your in-class reading including:
Topic sentence with title and author
Answers to 7 questions on the chart
The answer to “so what” will be your concluding sentence.

Posted by Abrams at 11:19 AM

Friday, April 28

Warm Up:
What is the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and how is someone selected to have this honor?

Activity 1:
Give students an intro into the writing and the audience response of “Casey At the Bat” (see back of book), and read the poem aloud to the students.

Activity 2:
Each student receives a numbered line of the poem. Students stand in a circle around the perimeter of the room. Beginning with line # 1 students read their line orally to the class from where ever they are standing around the perimeter of the room.

Activity 3:
Each table group will have 1 baseball article and complete a concept map including a 1-sentence summary (no more than 15 words).

Bring Literature on Wednesday to use in class

Have progress reports signed.

Night Write:
Write about an exciting baseball play you have made or seen.

Posted by Abrams at 11:18 AM

April 22, 2006

Monday, April 24

Literature – pg. 758-761

Warm Up:
List 3 sets of technical directions you have used in the past month.

Activity 1:
Technical Directions:
• Will include words and phrases that are unfamiliar to the reader
• Terms should be explained in the text or illustrated in the diagram
• Important to read through all of the directions to define any confusing terms and clarify any unclear steps before trying to follow the directions

Activity 2:
Students will follow the following step-by-step directions for making a paper cup:
1. Fold a square piece of paper into a triangle.
2. Place the folded side of the triangle closest to you.
3. Fold the left corner to the middle of the opposite side.
4. Fold the right corner in the same manner to the opposite side.
5. Fold the top flap down on the folded side.
6. Fold the other top flap down on the other side.
7. You should have a paper cup.

Activity 3:
Students will read the top half of page 758 to answer, “What’s in it for me,” with regard to technical directions.

Activity 4:
Students will read the bottom half of page 758 to be able to describe the 4 steps in the process of understanding directions.

Activity 5:
Since students will encounter technical directions when they purchase new products, they must be able to follow the directions for operation and assembly. Students will read the technical directions on page 759 and answer the following:
• List the features of the Alarm Chronograph Timer.
• Why is it important to follow the directions in the correct order?
• List the tasks of button A.
• List the tasks of button B.
• How are these technical directions organized?

Night Write:
Write the directions to setting your alarm clock.
Reading

Posted by Abrams at 04:45 PM

Tuesday, April 25

Materials:
Large newsprint
Laptops

Warm Up:
How are technical directions important to you?

Activity 1:
Share last night’s night write with the students at your table.

Activity 2:
Students will read their chapter book for 30 minutes. Students are to record the total number of books read this year, and turn in their genre chart.

Activity 3:
Working in table groups, students are to write the technical directions for writing and submitting an essay into e-rater, directions to using the SmartBoard, downloading and saving pictures from a digital camera to a new file on the computer.

Night Write:
If students have Internet access at home, they are to type their problem-solution persuasive essay into e-rater. Be sure to print a hard copy of this essay.

Posted by Abrams at 04:44 PM

Wednesday, April 26

Warm Up:
What reading rate do you use when reading technical directions?

Activity 1:
Working in table groups, students are to write the technical directions for writing and submitting an essay into e-rater, directions to using the SmartBoard, downloading and saving pictures from a digital camera to a new file on the computer.

Night Write:
If students have Internet access at home, they are to type their problem-solution persuasive essay into e-rater. Be sure to print a hard copy of this essay.

Posted by Abrams at 04:43 PM

Thursday, April 27

Warm Up:
Appetizers – pg. 51

Night Write:
If students have Internet access at home, they are to type their problem-solution persuasive essay into e-rater. Be sure to print a hard copy of this essay.

Posted by Abrams at 04:42 PM

Friday, April 28

Friday, April 28
Warm Up:
Appetizers – pg. 52

Activity 2:
Students will swap technical directions with another table and follow the directions. Notes will be written on the directions showing the weaknesses and the strengths of the directions.

Bring Writing and Grammar to class on Monday to turn in to me.

Bring Literature on Wednesday to use in class.

Night Write:
If students have Internet access at home, they are to type their problem-solution persuasive essay into e-rater. Be sure to print a hard copy of this essay. All essays must be submitted by Monday, May 1.

Posted by Abrams at 04:41 PM

April 10, 2006

Class Notes for April 10

Today in class we began with a warm up. The warm up haad to do with stating the main idea and making inferences. After we were done with our warm up, moved on to looking at the Write Sourcce bok on pages 240-249. These pages showed us what we needed to do to revise our paper.

Posted by at 01:32 PM