October 29, 2013

Objective: I can write an objective summary of “Why Can’t Girls Go to School?” by using PUC and writing the main ideas of each paragraph. Today, I walked the students throug the meaning of objective, and how we can take who, what, and where from a paragraph to write the main ideas that form a summary. Students practiced writing the ideas from the class article "Some Girls Can't Go to School" on white boards. Warm up: We are going to watch a video about Malala. Copy this onto your warm-up paper: Who is Malala? She is_____years old, and she is from_____ What happened to her? Malala was shot by the ______ because she________. Why does Malala deserve a Peace Prize? She talks to people about_______ for ______.

October 28, 2013

Objective: I can determine the author’s purpose in “Some Girls Can’t go to School” by writing the main idea after each paragraph. Today, students completed a reading comprehension activity from the book "If the World were a Village," examining education and literacy in the world. We then read the Achieve3000 article “Some Girls Can’t Go to School," typing the main idea after each paragraph to help determine the author's prupose. Warm-up: Write these questions on your paper: 1. How many children get to attend school? 2. How many adult men cannot read? 3. How many adult women cannot read? I read page 21 from the book to the class.

October 25, 2013

Objective: I can state an opinion, using the strongest supporting ideas to write an opinion paragraph. Today, we finished the paragraph organizer. I taught a mini-lesson on how to change an opinion to go with the facts. When students finished the organizer, they went on Achieve300 to begin the article "Some Girls Can't Go to School." Warm Up: Quickwrite: Write for 2 minutes without stopping What have we learned about money, stuff, and women’s ability to dress and go to school in the U.S., India, and the world? At the the top of your paper, write the number of words you wrote. Aim for 50 words.

October 24, 2013

Objective: I can interpret and evaluate graphs and charts in an informational text. We started class by reading the money page from the book "A Global Village." Students learned about how most of the world lives in poverty. We put the information into a bard graph, and then talked about the writer's choice to use graphs or not. Students analyzed different types of graphs from Time for Kids, and answered questions 1-6 on page 6. Finally, students filled out a persuasive organizer with their opinions on whether they have too much stuff or not. Warm-up: Text to image: Draw a bar graph of the village money from the story "A Global Village" Writer’s choice: Which is more powerful, the bar graph or the words?

October 23, 2013

Objective: I can compare and contrast life in the U.S. to life in Kashmir, India. Today, we had a guest speaker, Mrs. Groninger, speak tot he class about living in Kashmir, India. Students completed a Venn diagram comparing life here to life in India, looking at education, women's rights, and poverty. At the end of class, students wrote sentences on white boards comparing and contrasting the countries. No warm-up.

October 22, 2013

Objective: I can determine the central idea of a text and describe how supporting ideas/details make the central idea. Students finished the vocabulary and marking the text on "Toy Story" Assignment: add supporting details from the magazine article to have a total of 5 and rewrite the central idea under the prediction. Turn the paper in to the shelf or box by your period’s folders. When finished: Read your language arts book or a book from one of the shelves in this classroom. Assignment: Use the article that you wrote on yesterday to answer the question: Why do kids today have more toys than kids had in the past? Write at least three complete sentences. Kids today have more toys because…Also,… Finally, kids have more toys because…

October 21, 2013

Objective: I can identify the text features of an article and determine how those features support the central idea. Students marked the text features using different colored markers. They worked on vocabulary: Assignment: Choose 3 words from the article to write and define as modeled here: Paragraph #:____ Word:__________ Prediction: I think it means ___________, because __________________________. Dictionary Definition:_________________ __________________________________ Use it in a sentence: ________________ _________________________________ When done: Read an article from the magazine silently at your desk. and also on finishing two-column notes to give the main idea. Fill in the word needed to complete each sentence correctly. USE: Whose or Who’s 1. ___________ book is that? 2. ______________ at the door? 3. He is a student ___________ always on time. 4. I’m not sure ____________ tickets those are. 5. I don’t know _______________ it is. 6. It’s hard to find a child ______________ never bad. 7. ___________ leaving early? 8. ______________ conducting the band? whose – possessive who's – who is

October 18, 2013

Objective: I can determine the central idea of a text and describe how supporting ideas/details contribute to and convey (makes known) the central idea. [RI.8.2] Students should be able to answer: What is the central idea? How is the central idea developed? Students chose vocabulary from the article "Toy Story" to define. They also chose 5 supporting ideas and predicted the central idea on two-column notes. Warm-up: Fill in the word needed to complete each sentence correctly. USE: Whose or Who’s 1. ___________ book is that? 2. ______________ at the door? 3. He is a student ___________ always on time. 4. I’m not sure ____________ tickets those are. 5. I don’t know _______________ it is. 6. It’s hard to find a child ______________ never bad. 7. ___________ leaving early? 8. ______________ conducting the band? whose – possessive who's – contraction

October 17, 2013

Objective: I can identify the text features of an article and determine how those features support the central idea. Students read the article "Toy Story" in Time for Kids magazine, looking at text features. Warm-up: Fill in the word needed to complete each sentence correctly. USE: Your or You’re 1. ___________ personality is fun. 2. When ___________ finished, you may go to the library. 3. Give ____________ Grandpa's dog a bone. 4. _____________ study skills need to improve 5. Is that _________ car? 6. If __________ not busy, come over tonight. 7. __________ arguments are convincing. your – possessive pronoun you're – contraction of you and are

October 16, 2013

Objective: I can reflect on my goals from last term and make goals for this term. Today, students reflected on how they did in the first six weeks of the class,. by looking at their work, creating a portfolio, and writing a reflection. Reflection requirements: Look at the goal that you wrote in your folder for the posttest and OAKS. In a paragraph with complete sentences, answer: Many students in the class did not turn in a posttest. How well do you think you did? Do you think that you are ready to take the OAKS exam this year? Why or why not? Look at the goal that you wrote in your folder for the posttest and OAKS. Add to your paragraph: How did you do on the post-test? Did you score as well as you thought you would? (a 4 is excellent, 3 is passing) What will you do the next six weeks to improve your score? Example: I thought that I would get a 4, but I only scored a 2, because I didn’t explain my ideas. I could have spent more time writing the paragraph instead of talking to friends. The next six weeks, I will concentrate on my own work.

October 15, 2013

Objective: Objective: I can determine the main idea of each paragraph, and choose 3-5 main ideas to summarize “King’s Dream Remembered.” Today, we reviewed classroom procedures and finished reading the article "King's Dream Remembered" on Achieve3000. No warm-up.

October 10, 2013

Objective: I can determine the main idea of each paragraph, and choose 3-5 main ideas to summarize “King’s Dream Remembered.” Today, students completed all 5 steps for the article: poll, article, activity, poll, thought question I demonstrated how to take notes on Achieve3000 using the "summary" option. Capitalize words such as Mom, Dad, Grandma, etc. when used instead of a person’s name, do not capitalize if preceded by a personal pronoun (my, our, their, her, etc.) 1. My father knew it would be a long trip. 2. I was joined by uncle Bill for the trip to the family reunion. 3. Please put my homework on the table, sister. 4. We love to hear grandma’s stories. 5. When grandma Sarah came to the U.S., she was only five years old. 6. Oh, mom, you don’t understand me!

October 9, 2013

Objective: I can use evidence from the text to support a purpose statement, using complete sentences, and explaining my ideas. We watched a video on Jim Crow laws to further understand the reason why African Americans wanted to move to the North during the Great Migration. Students finished writing their position statement paragraphs, and then got on the tablets to read on Achieve3000. Warm Up: Capitalize languages, races, nationalities Example: The cherokees were the first native tribe to have a written language. 1. My british pen pal, Sarah, sent me an irish friendship ring. 2. My mother bought an african lamp. 3. Clara Barton was an american nurse known for her achievements. 4. I am learning to speak spanish.

October 8, 2013

Objective: I can use evidence from the text to support a purpose statement, using complete sentences, and explaining my ideas. To start class today, we watched two videos on the Great Migration: The first one gave an over view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qqxGZ-V-hU, and the second provided a voice to those moving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--8N42vDDTM. We discussed why so many African Americans moved, and whether the move was worth the effort. The students then re-read the artcile from yesterday before writing a parragraph supporting a position statement. The sentence frames that students used for the paragraph are: I think that _(position statement)_. The first reason is __(evidence)___. This shows that __(explain the evidence). The second reason is _(evidence)_. As you can see, __(explain the evidence). In conclusion, _(position statement)_, because _(restate evidence)_. Warm-up: Capitalize proper nouns: names of people, places, or things (including holidays). Rewrite the sentences. Example: Wish Mary a happy valentines day! --> Wish Mary a happy Valentine's Day! 1.Yesterday, olivia gave me a parrot from queretaro, mexico. 2.On october 25th, asms will have a party. 3.On december 25th, i will say merry christmas and a few days later i will wish you a happy new year’s day.

October 7, 2013

Objectives: 1. I can reflect on my progress in LAI and complete work to meet my goals. 2. I can use evidence from the text to support a purpose statement, using complete sentences, and explaining my ideas. To start class, students wrote their homework and assignments for the week in their agendas. Homework: turn in missing work by Wednesday. Students wrote what work is missing in their agendas. We also passed back graded papers and discussed class goals. Students began the post-test, which tests their ability to use evidence to support an opinion. The test also measures the students' abilities to read a grade-level text. Warm-up: Capitalize geographic names. Don't capitalize “earth” if it has “the” before it. Example: There is a rocky island in the atlantic ocean called st. helena. 1. Ships use the panama canal to pass between the caribbean sea and the pacific ocean. 2. We toured the museum located at 247 dixon parkway. 3. The gateway arch in st. louis, missouri rises 630 feet high.

October 4, 2013

Objective: I can use evidence from the text to determine the meaning of new words in an article on achieve 3000. Today, students finished the jigsaw activity from yesterday. Then, we discussed the difference between an antonym and a synonym, and played a quick game to review the definitions. Students then went to the computer lab to read the article "Where History Still Lives" on Achieve3000. This article discusses whether slave cabins should be preserved or not as historic landmarks. No warm-up.

October 3, 2013

Objective: I can use evidence from the text to evaluate how civil rights leaders created change. Students did a jigsaw activity by reading three different articles on leaders against racism: Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. They answered the question: What is the most effective strategy to bring about change? Organizing others Making speeches Speaking to leaders Giving help to those directly in need Writing something that informs the public Warm-Up: Use a semi-colon ; OR a comma , and a FANBOY For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet to create one sentence. Use three different choices. Example: I like to eat. Berries are gross. I like to eat, but berries are gross. Dinner is ready. Mom’s cooking is delicious. I want a cookie. Oatmeal is the best. I like to sleep at 9 PM. My favorite TV show starts at 10 PM.

October 2, 2013

Objective: I can demonstrate my reading ability by reading and re-reading articles and answering questions. Today students finished their exams on portal.achieve3000.com. Students who finished early read an article of their choice on the website. I encourage all students to go to the website at home to practice reading comprehension as much as possible. Warm-up: Use a semi-colon ; to fix run-on sentences. Example: My parents gave me a dog; I couldn’t wait to play with her. 1. Kendra never like cats she preferred to own a dog. 2. Call me tomorrow I’ll give you my answer then. 3. Janie got an A on the test she studied for two days.

October 1, 2013

Image from Achieve3000.

Objective: I can demonstrate my reading ability by reading and rereading articles and answering questions on TeenBiz3000.

Today the students used Achieve3000 for the first time. The website has students read articles and answer comprehension questions to determine the reading, or Lexile, score of each student. The website tracks student reading progress, and matches the reading level of the article to the student. Most of the students did not finish.

Warm-up (first period only):
Use a semi-colon ; to fix run-on sentences. 
Example: My parents gave me a dog; I couldn’t wait to play with her.

1. Kendra never like cats she preferred to own a dog.
2. Call me tomorrow I’ll give you my answer then.
3. Janie got an A on the test she studied for two days.