Pun Intended: Class Log & Discussions

I'm not lost...

Here is what we have covered, in a nutshell.

- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

- Johnny Tremain chapters 5-9

- Vocabulary: adjectives: #51-70

- Lots of Robert Browning poetry and the TP-CASTT system (have I said that already?)

- writing a scary short story (due today!)

- Vocabulary: adjectives: #71-80 (due Wednesday!)

I think that's it...

No school Thursday and Friday.  Saturday night I will be in Dallas seeing the SMASHING PUMPKINS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Short Week

Last Friday: final day of 1st nine weeks; vocabulary test - Adjectives - #1-50; silent reading - HOMECOMING!   Congratulations Panthers on your victory over LR Central!

Today: We began reading Johnny Tremain ch.5, then practiced poetry annotation to focus our skill so that we will be ready for TP-CASTT analysis tomorrow, (it's not as scary as it sounds, I promise.)  I will collect your annotation sheets at the beginning of class tomorrow.

Note... Parent-teacher conferences are this Thursday, I believe they are drop-in.  Friday there is no school - mental health day!

Bottom of the ninth

We have one more week left in the first quarter.  Here is some handy info:

1) Signed progress reports were collected today for five easy points.  Sadly, I averaged seven per class.

2) Movie permission slips: you may not watch movies without this signed.  The first one will be around Halloween.

3) Vocabulary test Friday.  Complete your new vocab. sheet (31-50) for Thursday.

4) Your THREE NOVEL REPORTS are due Friday.  These are 100 points each.  This could make or break your grade.

5) There have been high points and low points this nine week.  Some of the lows need to be addressed so they can be fixed.  In my opinion, they are as follows:

• Laziness will not get you an A.  You must earn your grade.  Showing up for class alone does not merit passing.
• You are responsible for you.  If you are absent, I will not come after you to make up the work.  If you were absent when something was due, I will not come after you to turn in what was due.  You must keep track of what you need to accomplish and turn in.  This is perhaps a greater lesson than the work itself.

Those are a couple.  Here's what we did today: handed back American Revolution projects, went over the questions about chapter 4 together, played "Johnny Tremain Tableau" in small groups, finished up our six Bloom's questions about J.T., and got the final 20 vocab words before Friday's test.  Those classes who were behind didn't get the game, and instead got caught up with the other classes.

Ketchup Day

Yesterday I tried to catch-up all my classes so they would be on the same page... literally.

First, I handed out progress reports - get them signed!!  I am giving you a grade for it.  Then I passed out my newsletter/film overview along with a permission slip in order to be able to view the films.  You can view the newsletter over at the "handouts" page - it's much better in color!

I also collected the vocabulary worksheet that had adjectives #21-30 on it.

Since you all had half of your silent reading day on Thursday following the chunk test, I had everybody read aloud until the end of chapter 4 in Johnny Tremain.  We ended with some quiet reading time of our choice novels.  One more week to finish your three projects or reports!  The book report ideas sheet is also over at the "handouts" page now - so if you need an extra, you can download it there.

Finally - happy birthday, Dad!

Busy days

This week we have been working through chapter four of Johnny Tremain.  We have read together and answered questions as we went along.  Today we had to take a chunk test - lots of people were absent because of field trips, so they will have to make that up.  We also got a new version of Bloom's taxonomy and a QAR chart to help us better understand reading deeply and asking questions on higher planes.

Tomorrow you have your ten vocabulary words due, and your six questions about J.T. if we got that far in your period.  One week left to finish your first three novels!!

The road taken

Today we took notes on the "inference umbrella."  Being able to infer is an active reading strategy as well as a necessary skill for truly understanding something as you read.  If you were absent, you need to borrow notes from a friend to copy.

We followed this with a look at Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken.  We used an annotation strategy involving colored highlighters or pens to get into the poem and understand what he Frost might be saying.  My color scheme was as follows:

green = images        black = color images        red = actions          blue = figurative language

After looking at different parts of the poem and discussing it, you were supposed to write a few sentences, describing what you think Frost meant when he said "and that has made all the difference."  Use your new found inferring strategies.

Also - notice that Johnny Tremain is at his own road divergence, after losing his path towards becoming a silversmith.  What do you think he will do?  Infer!

Tying up all the threads.

Today we did a class binder-organization throw down.  Hopefully you won and disorderly messes lost. 

We followed this with an examination of superb QIDIC charts and Bloom's questions.  Now that you know what good ones look like, I only expect to SEE good ones from here on out.

Finally, you were put into groups to read aloud from a section of either chapter 2 or 3 in Johnny Tremain.  Remember to be on your best behavior for the sub tomorrow and Thursday, because any out-of-line conduct will be written up with few to no questions asked.  I'm actually going to miss you guys while I'm at my workshops down at central office - you all seemed so excited to have a sub - heartbreakers!

Due Friday: Sensory notes, synthesis notes, Ch. 1 questions, Vocabulary

one more time...

I just typed out everything we did today and LOST it.  Grrr.

Second time around, no flourish:

1) We finished presentations

2) You got a handout of 20 adjectives.  Definitions were provided, you needed to provide illustrations, a sentence, (no cop-outs!), an antonym, and a synonym.

3) We looked at pictures of traditional silversmith marks.  You drew your own.  Remember Johnny Tremain's is going to be "JLT."

4) Tuesday tutoring/extra help begins tomorrow.

5) Revolutionary Projects should all be graded Friday, so check Pinnacle then.

maybe it's just me....

  So I'm pretty certain I had this message up on the board ALL WEEK.  I'm also fairly certain I pointed it out at the beginning of EVERY period.  Beyond that, I'm down right determined that all of this was due LAST Friday, but I issued an extension to help people fix zeros, get stuff in, etc. etc. 

Oddly enough, lots of people handed me blank sheets, and then had the audacity to say: "I didn't know what it was."  OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG.

Ok kids, let's be frank for a second.  If you don't know what something is: ASK BEFORE THE DUE DATE.  If it is simply a thinly veiled lie to try and excuse a case of the lazies: NICE TRY.  I don't take late work, so I hope this is a lesson to all.  GET YOUR WORK DONE.  Also, if you do it at the last minute, and you copied somebody elses... I will KNOW. 

Yes, I am THAT GOOD. 

Anyway... today was silent reading and binder check day.  We rocked some Radiohead tribute music on piano, and caught up on our Johnny Tremain reading if need be.

TAKE NOTE: Your first three novels are due on OCTOBER 12th aka the end of the 1st nine weeks.

Also note... I will now be in my classroom on Tuesdays at lunch and after school.  If you are drowning in disorginzation or feel left behind, come see me, we'll play catch up.  I'm pretty certain I know what's going on in class, and I am probably qualified to help you out.  Stop by and chat.

Finally... good luck football boys against Conway tonight!!

Idea...

Wednesday: We read sections 2 & 3 of chapter 1 in Johnny Tremain.  We filled out a simple reading guide called "synthesis notes" as we read.  Don't forget to go back and fill out the column we left blank!

Thursday: We went down to the library to finish sections 4-6 of chapter 1.  We had some really simple questions to guide our reading.  Some of you guys read alone while others formed reading circles.  I really enjoyed all of the British accents I heard today!  I hope you guys break them out again for whole-class reading.

*THOUGHT BANK*

I know there are some students who need some extra help keeping up with work/class reading/organizing stuff.  What if I offered a lunch period/some after school time once a week that I would be available for some guidance/help catching up?  I'm going to be busy with the swim team on Mondays and Wednesdays in the near future - so how would a Tuesday or a Thursday sound?