« August 2006 | Main | October 2006 »
September 30, 2006
This student podcast introduces the "Prepositions."
Posted by Abrams at 10:19 AM
This student podcast introduces the "Adverb."
Posted by Abrams at 10:17 AM
This student podcast introduces the "Verb."
Posted by Abrams at 10:16 AM
This student podcast introduces the "Noun."
Posted by Abrams at 10:12 AM
September 28, 2006
Students will go to the media center to:
*find reading levels for books they have or are reading
*select a mystery book (Students should have read 1 nonfiction, 1 science fiction or fantasy already this year.)
* Lesson with Mrs. Hendrix
Posted by Abrams at 07:37 PM
Materials:
Write Source – pg. 110-111
Outline for Writing a Personal Narrative
The site below gives models of essays written by students.
http://www.thewritesource.com/models.htm#2000
http://www.greatsource.com/iwrite/students/s_narrative.html(This is a fabulous guide to the steps in writing a personal narrative.)
The sensory detail chart will be collected on Thursday for a grade.
Warm Up:
Answer the following questions regarding getting all your ideas down on paper:
What is my topic or controlling idea?
What details or examples will develop my topic?
What words should I choose to develop my topic?
In what order should I write my ideas?
Activity 1:
Read pg. 110-111 aloud to the students with the students following along in their books. Be sure to stress the information in the left margins on the example in Write Source.
Activity 2:
Using your web, sensory detail chart, and list of 8 events in chronological order, complete Outline for Writing a Personal Narrative.
Activity 3:
Using the main ideas and details section of the Outline for Writing a Personal Narrative,
students are to write the middle paragraphs of their narrative. They are to begin their middle paragraphs at the end of their beginning paragraph. Students will need to be reminded that they must write this rough draft in pencil, in cursive, and write on every other line. The middle paragraphs must include:
• Sensory details to 4 of the 5 senses
• Chronological order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
• Dialogue used in 2 places
o Speaker’s personality
o To keep the action going
Homework:
• Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Complete an entry on your reading log.
• Night Write:
Finish writing 1st rough draft of the middle paragraphs for your narrative using the example on page 110-111 in Write Source and your completed Outline for Writing a Personal Narrative.
Remember: the 1st draft of your beginning paragraph and middle paragraphs must be written in pencil on every other line.
Posted by Abrams at 07:19 PM
Material:
The Wonders of Writing Notebook - pg. 33 and 57
Write Source - pg. 105-107,488
Warm Up:
Now that the brainstorming part of the writing process is complete, answer the following:
What is the purpose for writing?
How will I gather information?
In what form shall I write?
How shall I organize the information?
What is my plan?
Who is my audience?
Who can I talk to about my ideas?
Activity 1:
Using page 105 in Write Source as a model, make a sensory chart for your experience. Then write down words or phrases that describe events in your Quick List. Have students work with a partner to share each sensory chart to make sure that the information includes sensory details and also shows their feeling. Students should refer to page 488 in Write Source for addition help with using sensory details in writing.
Activity 2:
Using page 106 in Write Source as a model, review how to use dialogue effectively in a narrative. Plan to use dialogue in at least 3 places in your essay.
. Uing pg. 57 in The Wonders of Writing Notebook, review the rules for writing dialogue.
Activity 3:
Divide your papers into thirds, as you would a business letter.
Label the 3 areas Beginning, Middle, and Ending. Write the events (from you chronological list of 8 events)of your experience in the appropriate section. As you are reviewing your details, begin thinking about an attention grabbing beginning that starts in the middle of the action and an ending that helps the reader understand what the writer learned.
Activity 4:
Discuss the 3 ways to start your narrative using the examples on page 109. Write one of each kind described on page 109. Share with a partner and get feedback on which is the most effective in getting the reader’s attention.
Homework:
• Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Complete an entry on your reading log.
• Night Write:
Write one of each type of beginning paragraph for your narrative using one of the 3 examples on page 109.
Remember: the 1st draft of your beginning paragraph must be written in pencil on every other line.
Homework:
Reading-Students are to read for 30 minutes and complete an entry on their reading log answering the 5 W's.
Night Write-Students are to complete the 3 beginning paragraphs for their narrative.
Posted by Abrams at 10:48 AM
Tuesday, September 20
Materials:
Write Source – pg. 102-104
Warm Up:
Why is it important to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish a personal narrative?
Activity 1:
Read aloud Stephanie’s Ponytail and discuss examples of cause and effect.
Activity 2:
Have students read their challenging chapter book for 30 min. and write a list of 3 causes and 3 effects from their reading.
Collected Papers:
Cause/Effect
Homework:
• Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Complete an entry on your reading log answering the 5 W's.
• Night Write:
You’ve identified some possible experiences to write about. Now you need to think about what you have learned from each of them. Make a chart with the 3 experiences you starred from the sentence starters on the left side of the paper and the lesson learned from each experience on the right side of the paper. Then circle the experience you could write about in your narrative. Write nonstop about your circled topic for 5 minutes to see what you remember. Also answer the 5 W and H questions about your topic. If you can’t come up with enough details try another topic.
Posted by Abrams at 10:47 AM
Materials:
Write Source - pg. 104
"When You Start to Write" handout (website below)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan2.html
Thought Starters...Asking the Right Questions" handout (website below)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html
Warm Up:
What is meant by the term "chronological order"?
Activity 1:
Have students share their 3 webs completed over the weekend. These webs were to brainstorm for 3 possible topics for their personal narrative essay.
Activity 2:
Using Thought Starters...Asking the Right Questions" handout (website below)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html students are to select one of the 3 topics and answer the questions. Students should recognize that the "x" in the question is comparable to the variable or the unknown in their math classes. If students are having difficulty in answering the questions, suggest they select a different topic or to make their original topic more specific and less borad or general.
Activity 3:
Discuss the information in Write Source on pg. 104. Using one of Web for Brainstorming and Thought Starters...Asking the Right Questions" handout (website below)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html, have students write 8 main events in order included in their topic.
Homework:
Night Write- Take a writing vacation.
Reading - Read for 30 min. and complete a reading log entry answering the 5 W's.
Posted by Abrams at 10:09 AM
September 27, 2006
Materials:
Write Source – pg. 97-100
"When You Start to Write" handout (website below)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan2.html
Thought Starters...Asking the Right Questions" handout (website below)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan3.html
Warm Up:
What are the content and form of a personal narrative?
Activity 1:
Using Write Source – pg. 97 have students describe a personal narrative.
A personal narrative is a story that tells about you. It tells about:
• What you did
• What happened to you
• What you learned from the experience
Activity 2:
Understand the goal of writing a personal narrative using Write Source – pg. 98
Activity 3:
Walk through the sample personal narrative (using Write Source – pg. 99-100) emphasizing beginning, middle, end, ideas, organization, voice and word choice.
Activity 4:
Using "When You Start to Write" handout (website below)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_plan2.html, students will begin to see that writing a narrative is just putting the pieces of the writing process together step by step.
Activity 5:
Using the following sentence starters, begin to think about events in your life that have made an impression on you.
The following sentence starters will help you choose a topic that both you and your reader will enjoy:
1. I was helpful when…
2. I was inspired when…
3. I was exhausted when…
4. I was excited when…
5. I was embarrassed when...
6. My most memorable moment was when...
Put an * by your top 3 choices of topics. Make a web for each of your 3 choices. Your web is to have the central idea and 3 key concepts.
Homework:
• Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Complete an entry on your reading log.
• Night Write: The following sentence starters will help you choose a topic that both you and your reader will enjoy:
1. I was helpful when…
2. I was inspired when…
3. I was exhausted when…
4. I was excited when…
5. I was embarrassed when...
6. My most memorable moment was when...
Put stars next to 3 ideas that you think would make interesting topics for a personal narrative. Complete Web for Brainstorming for each of the 3 starred choices.
Posted by Abrams at 05:20 PM
September 24, 2006
Students will return to the MAC lab for the "final touches" of their podcast.
Reading Logs will be collected on Thursday to update the number of books read.
Homework:
Reading:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Take a writing vacation.
Posted by Abrams at 02:51 PM
Materials:
Literature book pg. 116-121
Warm Up:
Why is the writing process beneficial to use when generating a piece of writing?
Graded Papers Returned:
Reflection for Grammar Project
Reading Logs will be collected on Thursday to update the number of books read.
Activity 2:
Read aloud the 1st three sentences in the Background section on pg. 114.
Review the tone of a sory (the writer’s attitude) on pg. 115. Review idioms and their importance in writing on pg. 115.
Activity 3:
Discuss the vocabulary words at the bottom of pg. 115
Activity 4:
Guide the reading of “Seventh Grade” by pointing out the idioms, vocabulary, tone, and reading comprehension.
Homework:
Reading:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Explain how the main character is "Seventh Grade" changes from the beginning of the story to the end of the story.
Posted by Abrams at 02:48 PM
Warm Up:
Appetizers – pg. 7
Activity 1:
Students will go read their chapter book for 30 minutes and focus on the development of the character. In table groups students will have a book chat about the character they followed in their reading.
Activity 2:
Students will fill in the information for a nonfiction book on their genre chart.
Homework:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Explain how you have used or will use the steps in the writing process to improve your writing..
Posted by Abrams at 02:46 PM
Materials:
Write Source – pg. 4-28
Literature book pg. 114-115
Promethean flipcharts reviewing the writing process
Warm Up:
What is a personal narrative?
Activity 1:
Review the Writing Process Write Source – pg. 4-28 and the Promethean flipcharts.
Activity 2:
Explain that “Seventh Grade by Gary Soto is an example of a personal narrative. To help students appreciate the experiences of the main character of this story, ask students about their 1st day in 7th grade. Students may refer back to their night write from the beginning of school. Students from other countries will share their experiences moving to the U.S.
Activity 3:
How many of you had someone special you wanted to see?
Have you ever exaggerated your abilities to impress someone you wanted to know?
How many of you have ever done anything to get attention at school?
Write for 5 minutes about feelings and thoughts you have had remembering the 1st day of seventh grade.
The main character in the story you are about to read wants to impress a girl he likes What might happen?
What reasons do you think people might have for trying to impress others?
Homework:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Explain how you have used or will use the steps in the writing process to improve your writing..
Posted by Abrams at 02:38 PM
September 19, 2006
Materials:
Reflection for Grammar Project
Warm Up:
Students will read and complete the 2 items on the laminated sheet "On Being Asked to Select the Most Memorable Day in My Life" This activity should take students at least 10 minutes. Have students share their responses with the people at their table. These pieces of paper should be used to answer the questions from the reading in the chapter book. Therefore, students will be turning in 2 assignments on one sheet of paper.
Activity 1:
Students will read their chapter book for 30 minutes. Students will write 3 questions from the text they just read and answer them. Questions that are answered with one or two words (yes or no, etc.) will not count. Students are to give the page number where the answer to the question can be found. These papers will be collected.
Activity 2:
Students are to complete the Reflection for Grammar Project
handout. Students should be reminded that specific details should be included in the answer to each item. The back of the sheet may be used for longer responses.
Homework:
Night Write - Complete the Reflection for the Grammar Project handout and bring it to class on Monday.
Reading - Read a challenging chapter book for 30 min. and complete a reading log entry.
Posted by Abrams at 10:09 AM
September 16, 2006
Students will be working diligently as they put the final touches on their part of speech podcast.
Activity 1:
Students will put information from their storyboard into programs on the computer to create a part of speech podcast.
Students received 4 1/2 week progress reports. These are to be signed and returned on Monday, September 18.
Homework:
Reading:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Students are to fine tune a section of their group's script, if necessary.
Posted by Abrams at 02:19 PM
September 10, 2006
Posted by Abrams at 05:23 PM
September 07, 2006
Activity 1:
Students will put information from their storyboard into programs on the computer to create a part of speech podcast.
Students received 4 1/2 week progress reports. These are to be signed and returned on Monday, September 18.
Homework:
Reading:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Students are to fine tune a section of their group's script, if necessary.
Posted by Abrams at 06:57 PM
Students will go to the media center to:
Find any missing reading levels for their reading logs
Check out a nonfiction book, if they have not read one yet
Check out a mystery book for their next book to read
Lesson from Mrs. Hendrix on Internet vocabulary
Students will turn in their reading log for an update of the number of books read and for completion of the log.
Homework:
Reading:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Write on a topic of your choice.
Posted by Abrams at 06:53 PM
Activity 1:
Students will put information from their storyboard into programs on the computer to create a part of speech podcast.
Homework:
Reading:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Take a writing vacation.
Posted by Abrams at 06:24 PM
Warm Up:
Appetizers – pg. 8
Activity 1:
Students will go read their chapter book for 30 minutes and focus on the development of the character. In table groups students will have a book chat about the character they followed in their reading.
Activity 2:
Students will fill in the information for a nonfiction book on their genre chart.
Homework:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Topic of your choice
Posted by Abrams at 06:14 PM
Warm Up:
Name 3 big ideas about your group's parts of speech project.
Activity 1:
A demonstration of the computer programs Keynote, PowerPoint, and Garage Band will be presented.
Activity 2:
Students add to their storyboard what ever information that is needed, knowing the use of the computer programs that will be used.
Homework:
Read for 30 minutes each night in a challenging chapter book. Be sure that the one-sentence summary on the reading log entry includes who, what, when, where, why.
Night Write:
Topic of your choice
Posted by Abrams at 06:03 PM
September 02, 2006
Materials:
Writing and Grammar
Portfolio
Warm Up: Appetizers - pg. 6
Activity 1:
In their work groups students will be working on their scripts for the parts of speech podcast. The group's scripts need to be completed and ready to begin making the podcast on the computers by Monday, September 11.
Homework:
Reading - Students will read for 30 minutes and complete an entry on their reading log.
Night Write - Students will bring home a part of their group's script to complete.
Posted by Abrams at 11:21 AM
Materials:
Writing and Grammar
Portfolio
Warm Up: Appetizers - pg. 5
Activity 1:
In their work groups students will be working on their scripts for the parts of speech podcast.
Homework:
Reading - Students will read for 30 minutes and complete an entry on their reading log.
Night Write - Students will bring home a part of their group's script to complete.
Posted by Abrams at 11:12 AM
September 01, 2006
Materials:
Writing and Grammar
Portfolio
Warm Up:
"She Thinks I Don't Know"
Activity 1:
In their work groups students will be working on their scripts for the parts of speech podcast.
Homework:
Reading - Students will read for 30 minutes and complete an entry on their reading log.
Night Write - Students will bring home a part of their group's script to complete.
Posted by Abrams at 12:04 PM
Materials:
Writing and Grammar (WAG)
Parts of Speech for Podcasts handout
Warm Up:
Appetizers – pg. 4
Graded Papers Returned:
1 Night Write
Activity 1:
Share the Write to Learn from last night’s homework.
Activity 2:
The Parts of Speech for Podcasts should be completed, if not done so already. Students may work on the completion of the storyboard for their part of speech.
Activity 3:
When students have had their completed storyboard checked by me, the group may begin writing the script for their podcast.
Homework:
Reading-Students will read their chapter book for 30 minutes and complete an entry on their reading log. Students should be reading a nonfiction book presently or about to start one.
Write to Learn- While working on the part of speech podcast, I realized….
Posted by Abrams at 10:35 AM
Materials:
Writing and Grammar
Portfolio
Warm Up:
"Flaws"
Activity 1:
Students will read their chapter book for 30 minutes focusing on the 5W's and an H on the information they just read. This assignment will be collected for a grade.
Activity 2:
Students will file their base line writing piece (letter to me) in their portfolio.
Students will be turning in their reading logs this Thursday.
Students will need to select and read a nonfiction book, if they have not already.
Homework:
Reading:
Read a chapter book for 30 minutes and complete an entry on your reading log.
Night Write:
Choose a topic of your choice.
Posted by Abrams at 10:30 AM
