Friday, March 28, 2014

CTP IV Week

I hope you had a wonderful time in Charleston. Be sure to check my Twitter feed and #davis6 for all the great photos your chaperones took. There are hundreds more photos on the Flickr stream Mr. Frank posted. Be thinking about what you learned, what you loved, and what you will always remember. (Hint: Journal Entry on this topic coming soon!)

For the coming week, please bring something to read with you each day to your testing room. You have four myths to be read by Wednesday; use any free time to read if you have not yet completed these. Eat a healthy breakfast, and be on time to school, please.

We have "B" days Monday through Thursday, then a regular Friday schedule. On Monday in class, I will explain the Greek Myth cartoon project, which I did not get to do on the 24th. I will be extending the due date to Friday, April 4. Each day in class, work on writing your Persuasive Essay, which is due to me by the end of your block on Friday. If you finish the essay before Friday, work on your cartoon in class.

That's it! Have a great weekend, and I will see you Monday morning.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Whitwell to Atlanta to Charleston

The experience at Whitwell takes some time to think through, reflect and process. Please look at Edmodo for a journal response due before you go to sleep on Monday evening. This is a single, well-written paragraph. Continue reading the Greek myths. You have an assignment associated with the myths which is posted on Edmodo as well. That assignment is due April 2. In class on Monday, we will talk briefly about the purpose of myths, and use the time for completing all pre-writing for the essay. If you are ready to move on to your draft, go right ahead and begin with your body paragraphs.

See you Monday!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Fun week ahead...

The Purim Shpiels are ready to go! Please go directly to the Lower School on Monday morning. If you bring lunch, simply bring it to the Lower School with you. I will make sure it gets back to the LA room for you to pick up at lunchtime. If you have a brown bag lunch, please put your name on it!

Test on nouns this week, then the trip to Whitwell, TN to see the Paper Clips project/museum. Don't forget to turn in your permission form. On Day 2, you will receive a book to begin reading for our next literature study, which will be a series of myths/short stories and more! In class, if you have time after the assigned activities, I will ask that you continue working on your Persuasive Essay. You should have all your facts now. The next step is organizing the information, then you will create the rough draft.

No blog entry for the week of the 24th as we will work on the paper then head to Charleston! Woo hoo!

Day 1: Celebrate Chag Purim
Day 2: Review of noun unit, work on Persuasive Essay, receive book of myths
Day 3: Noun Unit test, work on Persuasive Essay
Day 4: Trip to Whitwell

Monday, March 24: Discussion of myths, work on Persuasive Essay

AT HOME:
Day 2: Review for Nouns Test
Day 3: Read from mythology text

See you Monday!

Friday, March 7, 2014

Prepping for Purim Puppetry

This week we have an exciting integration with Judaic studies and performing arts. Each of you will have a part in putting on a shadow puppet show for Mechina-3 at the Lower School Purim celebration on the 17th. The theme for the shpiel is superheroes. "The Hamanator vs. the One and Only Excellent Esther and her Uncle, Marvelous Mordy" will require some of you to be puppeteers, some of you to perform the script, and some of you to work sound effects/props.

This experience fulfills the mitzvah of modeling menschlikeit behavior, teaches you teamwork, cooperation, and planning, and allows for creative expression. Additionally, we will be examining how a script mirrors plot structure in a novel and contains the elements of literature you have studied.

Everyone will be making a shadow puppet, and most of you will be helping younger students create miniature puppets on the 17th. Nationally recognized educator/artist Marilyn Price will be in residence at the Middle School Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. You will be working on the shpiel in both your Language Arts block and Judaic studies block.

MEANWHILE...on Monday we will wrap up the unit on nouns in Easy Grammar. On Friday, you will have your Cumulative Test on Units 10-12. The Noun Unit test will be Day 3 NEXT WEEK (either 3/19 or 3/20.)

IN CLASS:
Monday: Complete Noun Unit - Direct Objects, Indirect Objects, review
Days 2 and 3: PURIM SHPIEL!
Day 4: Cumulative Test Vocabulary and Roots Units 10-12.

HOMEWORK:
On Monday: Make sure you have completed through page 136 in Easy Grammar
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY: Review for the cumulative test. Remember that we did not have a test over Unit 10, so pay careful attention to those words and roots. PEAK vocabulary will not be on the test.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Welcome to March!

We have another short week as I have the opportunity to share with your parents the effort in learning and growing you have displayed. On both Monday and Tuesday, you will spend the entire class time researching facts to support your persuasive essay. In the process of researching remember two critical steps:
* Make sure you know the source of any information you will be using, building your bibliography AS YOU GO ALONG. (Use EasyBib)
* Take notes in a way that will allow you to rearrange the information later. I have given you many options: notecards, Webinspiration, Pages, PowerPoint, Word Outline, Google Slides, OneNote, and more.

Continue to study for Unit 12 V&R. CUMULATIVE TEST on Units 10-12 will be March 14. This test will not include Peak vocab.
Note: Tuesday and Wednesday are "A" Schedule days.

Monday, March 3: Continue researching and gathering facts to support your three arguments. (One paragraph = one argument)
Tuesday, March 4: Continue researching and gathering facts to support your three arguments. By the end of class today, you should have all your facts.
Wednesday, March 5: Unit 12 V&R test
Thursday/Friday: Parent Conferences, Dress Rehearsal for Willy Wonka, Jr. Break a leg, Thespians!

HOMEWORK:

As you study for the V&R test, also begin reviewing the words/roots from Units 10 and 11. Remember that we did NOT have a test on Unit 10 due to the weather. Make sure you review my notes on sentences turned in, and ask for clarification as needed in class.