September 30, 2009

Homework: Pictionaries 11-20 and synonyms Unit 2
Students should have an idea of who they are going to write about for their essays.  The essay is due October 7.

Today:
Buzzword and extra credit questions (see below)
Listened to words 11-20 unit 2
I discussed how to choose a person for the prompt.  I will say that choosing the person is the hardest part, and I think some students are not willing to put in the thought required to find that person.  I gave them a suggestion today.  I asked them to list things they have learned, like responsibility.  Then tell who taught them that.  Then think of a clear moment when you learned that lesson.

I emphasized that I want them to stay away from Mom or Dad.  Rather, I would like them to think about someone who is not always in their lives, like a coach or a teacher, better yet, someone they met at camp or met briefly. 

I am doing mine on a student who wrote to me last May.  He had a rough time for the two times he was in seventh grade with me.  I thought he was going to lead a rough life.  In his e-mail, he let me know that he is a teacher.  He has his masters degree and is working on a business degree.   He did have a rough life after my class, but things turned around.  The moment I will discuss is reading the letter last May.  Even though I knew him for two years, he was someone who was in my life for a moment.

Daily Drill Discussion:
September 30, 2009
modulate (verb) \MAH-juh-layt\
What does it mean?
1 : to tune to a key or pitch
2 : to adjust or regulate to the proper proportion, especially : to tone down : soften
3 : to vary a quality (as frequency or amplitude) of an electromagnetic wave for the transmission of information (as by radio)
How do you use it?
Jake tries hard to remember that he must modulate his booming voice when he's in the library.

A. In an effort to be a considerate neighbor, Cassie carefully modulates the volume when she watches TV late at night.
B. Phil cracked one of his modulates when he bit down on a hard pizza crust.
C. The city is modulating the century-old school to insure that each classroom will have Internet access.
D. After its last owner died, the once grand mansion was allowed to modulate and was finally demolished.

Which month comes from the Latin word for ten? (deci)
Which answer best completes the word? (pre)
A weather forecaster’s job is to make _____dictions about weather coming to the area.

September 29, 2009

Homework: pictionaries 1-10 unit 2

Today:
No daily drill
Reviewed the calendar for this week and a few dates next week
Listened to words 1-10 unit 2
Watched a video version of "Thank you, M'am"
Discussed the first writing prompt choice for the next essay.

Essay Topic
“Thank You M’am” by Langston Hughes

“But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that that contact is not going to last a while, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Luella Bates Washington Jones.”


Prompt #1
People come into our lives, intentionally or unintentionally. Some are more memorable than others. Write an essay about person in your past whose contact with you has influenced you to become who you are today. Your essay could be about one event (like the story Thank You, M’am) or a series of interactions. The piece will be reflective and clearly show cause and effect. What have you learned?

September 25, 2009

(I wasn't feeling Barney-like today.  I didn't want him to see me like this. I talked to the kids about how, even when we don't feel like it, we can try to be Barney-like.)

Homework: None

Today:
Daily Drill (see below)
Listen to "Thank you M'am" by Langston Hughes
React to the story

We will be studying this story and two other memoirs next week to prepare for another essay.  The "First Day" essay is in.  We will write another essay, get someone to read over both, and decide which one should be finalized to be graded.  I will get an assignment page up next week... after I figure out the essay topics they can choose.

The grades online are updated and include the quiz from Thursday.  I will enter this week's homework and participation later.

Daily Drill:
Friday, September 25, 2009 (M3)
Frequently Confused Words
     all together- everyone in the same place
                        We were all together for the dinner.
     altogether- entirely
                        He was altogether wrong.

1. We had a flat tire John was car sick and we got losted.
2. Chris thought I hope they will chose me for their teem.
3. The correct abbreviation for Doctor is ____
4. The correct salutation for a business letter to Dr. Ben Corliss is, “__”
5. The idiom “Winning the race was quite a feather in my cap” means …

September 24, 2009

Homework: None

Today:
Buzzword and word study (see below)
Quiz Unit 1
Reviewed the answers to the quiz
Some classes shared.


September 24, 2009
relevant (adjective) \RELL-uh-vunt\
What does it mean?
: having something to do with the matter being considered : pertinent
How do you use it?
Although the book was published in 1962, the ideas and observations expressed in it are still relevant today.
Are you a word wiz?
If you're interested in today's Buzzword, here's a relevant question. Which word do you think is a synonym of "relevant"?
A. germane
B. extraneous
C. affluent
D. plausible

Responder (to give you a feel for what we covered)
Which of the following is based on a prefix meaning one?
Which word is derived from the Greek root meaning heart?

September 23, 2009

Homework: Quiz on unit 1 vocab Thursday!
Sections 3, 6, and 7 should make flashcards.  I got them started in class.

Today:
Daily Drill (see below)
Reviewed for the vocab quiz
Explained grade slips and gave to students
Shared essays with whatever time was left.  More will share tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 (R2)
Frequently Confused Words
all ready-(pronoun + adjective)
     We were all ready to go.
already-(adverb meaning previously)
     Sharon had already gone.

1. Which word would come last in alphabetical order?
shale, shaft, shady, shallot, shaky

2. “relationship” has ___ syllables

3. Mrs. Peters asked mr beckman will the concert start at 700 or 730?

4. The workmen has come to fix the oven in sammis kitchin

September 22, 2009

(That's my daughter Haley catching the ball.)

Homework:
All of Unit 1 should be finished
"Good-rough draft" due Wednesday
Be prepared to share.  I want to hear about these first days!

Today:
No Daily Drill
Reviewed the answers for Completing the Sentence Unit 1
We read a story from Teen Ink about a softball player.
Work time on essays.

I talked about different things with different classes today, but we mostly focused on how to develop the essay to include sensory details, dialogue, and thoughts.  The story we read had great sensory details and showed reflection.  We discussed the author's motive for sharing this story with us.  If you get a chance, please read the story.  It is very well written.

September 21, 2009

Homework:
Completing the Sentence Unit 1
Good Rough Draft of essay due Wednesday (see past blog entries for assignment)

Today:
Daily Drill (at the end of entry)
Reviewed the week
Reviewed vocabulary and began Completing the Senetence
I discussed the idea of having the ending in mind as you write an essay.
SSW time

Daily Drill for notebook
September 21, 2009 (W2)
Frequently confused words:
Advice- (noun) council
He gave me advice.
Advise- (verb) to give advice
She advised (told, suggested) me to finish high school.
1. The work man layed a straite track for the frayt train.
2. Maggie claymd she was to busy to dew her home work.
3. “Your pen pal,” is the ___________ of a letter.
4. Simile or Metaphor?
The butterfly was as graceful as a ballerina.
Lesson
Simile-
Metaphor-
5. Circle the adverb:
Touch the new puppy gently so you don’t injure it.

September 18, 2009

Homework: None, unless they would like to work on the essay topic.
I think a "good-rough draft" will be due Wednesday.

Today:
We read two piece from Teen Ink:
Golden Summer
Puppies and Lost Innocence

We discussed sensory details, dialogue, and thoughts.  Then I explained what I was writing and some of my thoughts for what my paper should sound like.  Here is the rough introduction if you are interested:

I rolled into the parking lot on that first day of school in September with the anxieties of last year mingling with the uncertainty of this new year. I knew one thing for sure: I was still in love with my new car- a 2008 Mustang GT in Grabber Orange. As I sat in the leather bucket seats, the satellite radio still playing, I looked towards the front door of the school as if it were a world away. Like an astronaut preparing for a space walk, I would have to leave the comfort of my car and start the new year because in one hour I would be meeting the children I would spend the next 9 months teaching. In the cabin I once sought for refuge at the end of each day last June lingered a slight fear of the stress from last year.

September 17, 2009

WWBD? What Would Barney Do?

Homework:
None really. I guess they could work on their essays if they feel motivated, but I have not assigned it.

Today:
Buzzword
Scored the Completing the Sentence using the remotes.
SSW time to work on their essay topics.

Topic:
We all have expectations for the first day of anything. For Victor, his expectation/goal was to have Teresa become his girlfriend. By the end of his day, he hadn’t quite succeeded, but he was on his way. For this essay topic, choose a first day that you can remember. Tell us the story of that day relating your expectations and ultimate outcome. Be sure to include sensory details, dialogue, and thoughts to make it interesting. (Do not do a first TIME doing something.)

September 16, 2009

Homework:
Choosing the Right Word unit 1
(This will be graded, so they should all be correct!)

Today:
Daily Drill
I checked the vocabulary hwk
We drew pictionaries on the board and tried to guess them.
I showed the students how I want them to highlight the context clues in the Choosing the Right Word activity in the vocab.
I explained a writing topic. For this essay option, they are going to write a narrative about their first day of 7th grade. In Reading, they read "Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto. We discussed what events to include and what events to exclude. they should discuss events that move the main idea forward. You can't include everything you did for the whole day!

We will talk more about this soon. They will have time to write in class Thursday during SSW time.

September 15, 2009

Homework:
Pictionaries 11-20 unit 1
Do the synonyms section in unit 1


Today:
I introduced the students to the Daily Buzzword. They are to copy the word, the definition, and how the word is used. Then they are to use the responder to give their guess at an answer. If they get the answer right, I will eventually give them some extra credit towards their vocab grade. It is just for fun, though.

We also reviewed four frequently confused words. Here are the questions. They did these on the responders so I could see how they did. In the future, I will be counting these types of things for grades. They had these words in their notes.

1. I am going (a. to, b. too, c. two) the party later today.
2. I have (a. to, b. too, c. two) dogs I call Spot.
3. That question is (a. to, b. too, c. two) hard for me to figure out.
4. I was wondering, (a. whose, b. who’s) the coolest teacher in 7th grade?
5. If that isn’t your car in the driveway, (a. whose, b. who’s) is it?
6. Is (a. there, b. their, c. they’re) going to be a storm later today?
7. My parents said (a. there, b. their, c. they’re) going to meet me at school.
8. I took (a. there, b. their, c. they’re) lawn gnome, but they didn’t notice.
9. If (a. your, b. you’re) going past the mall, could you pick up a shirt for me?
10. Is that (a. your, b. you’re) dog digging up my yard?

September 14, 2009

Homework:
Pictionaries for words 1-10 unit 1 vocab
(For each word, draw a stick figure picture that represents the word.  The picture cannot have numbers, words, or symbols.)

Today:
Daily Drill
I spent time explaining how I will be using the vocab books. Each day for this first unit, I will be taking time to make sure students understand what is expected of them.  The quiz on unit 1 will be next Thursday, September 24.  I will let the students know what they need to know for the quiz next week.

Today we listened to words 1-10 using the iWords on Vocabulary Workshop website.

September 11, 2009

Homework:
Bring vocab books on Monday

Today:
Barney Day!
I had three students read their essays.
We traded papers and read some paragraphs out loud.
We discussed the requirements of a Barney class.
We colored Barneys and put them up.

September 10, 2009

Homework:
Barney essays are due Friday.  I plan to have a Barney Day!  We are going to discuss the values that we can have as a class, listen to a few essays, and color little reminder Barneys while we watch another episode of the TV show.  The students may think I am crazy, but they will also know that I am serious.  I want a classroom that is as close to Barney as possible; I want my room to be positive and supportive.

Today:
I introduced the students to a magazine called Teen Ink.  We read the essay "From a Dance Team Girl" and discussed the purpose of a narrative.  In some classes we read a poem or two.  I want to use these magazines for examples of good writing.  They will also be available to read during writing time.  Students need to hear what good writing sounds like, so I read the essay to them under my stage lights.  They were surprised to know that they, too, would be under those lights soon enough!

We will start vocab next week.

September 9, 2009

Homework:
The Barney essay is due on Friday, handwritten and complete.  Here is a quick version of the prompt:

I want a classroom that is positive and supportive.  My suggestion/idea is that we have a Barney classroom.  In an essay, explain if a Barney classroom is possible.  If it is not possible, what might be a better idea?

Today:
We had our first experience with the Engage responder system.  I will explain it more later, but they are remotes that look like calculators.  Tests and other interactive assignments are broadcast to the remotes.  The students enter their answers on the remotes.  The computer scores the test, and students get immediate feedback.  Today we took the vocab final as a pre-test for the whole book.  I will publish their scores on the Home Access Center.  The scores will not count as a grade, but at least there is a record for when they take the test again in January.

September 8, 2009

Homework:
The Barney essay is due on Friday, handwritten.  It is not really homework unless the time is needed.  We will be starting vocabulary this week, so there will be some homework Wednesday and Thursday.

Today:
Daily Drill
I explained the outline I am using for my Barney essay.
I gave them work time.

Tomorrow we will be taking a vocab final.  Yes, it is the actual final they will take in June.  It does not count, but it should be interesting to see the results.

September 3, 2009

A student was nice enough to bring in a Barney. It might be donated, unless his 15 year old sibling doesn't want to give it up. :)

Homework: None

Today:
Daily Drill
SSW time to work on the essay prompt. This first essay is a diagnostic essay to help me assess what I need to focus on with these students. As soon as I am done with the required beginning of the year work, I will write my own Barney essay.

September 2, 2009

****My online calendar is not publishing correctly. Sorry.****

Homework:
Have you brought in vocab book money and the permission slip?
Other than that, none yet. We start vocab next week.

Today:
Daily Drill
We watched Barney looking for the answers to these questions:

*Who is in charge on the show?

*What do you make of this: “Barney can be your friend too, if you just make believe him.” (Some classes had an interesting discussion about belief in Barney. What if the kids did not believe in Barney? What then? Can we have a Barney class if we just believe? What if some don't believe? WWBD?)

*How are imperfect people treated on the show?

We also tried to define what a Barney Class would look like. I need the students to be able to explain a Barney class before they can determine whether we can have one or not. Tomorrow we will start to write the essay.

September 1, 2009

Some students got into into the Barney mood!

Homework:

Please bring in the e-mail and permission slips.

Vocab book money

Today:

We had our first daily drill for practice.  Students must have a notebook that they can keep these organized in.  This is how I teach grammar.

We also started brainstorming for our first essay:  I want a Barney classroom.

Diagnostic Essay Topic:The setting of Barney is obviously idealized. I know that the show is made for children to teach them how to behave.  That being said, in a detailed essay, tell me why you think our classroom can or cannot be a Barney classroom.  Be sure to use specific examples from your life and the episode to explain your position.  Be persuasive.  Convince me that I am either being realistic or unrealistic to expect this to happen.