Friday, March 24, 2017

Second Star to the Right!

Break a leg, Thespians! I wish you all a FABULOUS show. Get lots of rest!! This week we will finish up our last grammar unit. Because the test will not happen until April 21, you will have plenty of time to review and get extra help if you are still confused. You should finish your novel this week. You will work on a project based on the novel in class NEXT WEEK.

Monday Day 1: types of phrases (sheet in G/W workbook), pages 2 and 3 of the packet
I will introduce a joint LA/Jewish Studies project on Monday which will be due April 24.

Day 2: appositives, clauses
You will meet with Lit Circles again to work on creating a plot structure chart for your book as well as identifying the settings.

Day 3: Independently, work on pages 6-9 in the packet. On page 10, practice diagramming some of the sentences from page 9. Answers will be available for you to self-check.

Day 4: Membean Test. I will introduce a literary concept called The Hero's Journey.


Sunday, March 19, 2017

Thumbs up on that!

Well, the Native American cultures study integrated unit is a wrap. Based on your feedback, it most definitely achieved the teachers' goal of helping you to see that everything and everyone is connected in some way. For those of you whose interest was sparked in archeology, architecture, art, or music -- keep learning! The web makes it easy to investigate on your own. Instead of going for higher scores on slither.io, go exploring here.

We have a shortened week due to parent-teacher conferences.
Monday = regular schedule: continuing our work on phrases and clauses
Tuesday = "A" day: continued work on phrases and clauses, Block 5 will have Lit Circles
Wednesday = "A" day: notebook clean out, formal vs. casual writing

Monday and Tuesday we will continue with grammar, focusing on types of phrases and clauses. On Wednesday, we will have a notebook clean-out. I will help you determine what to keep for finals.

Looking out a bit farther on the calendar, CTP IV testing will be 4/3 - 4/6. We will have a "B" schedule those days.

HOMEWORK:
1) You have another journal entry due Friday. See Google Classroom for the prompt.
2) Continue expanding your vocabulary on Membean. The next test will be 3/31.
3) Your novel is due 3/31. You will have a project due 4/7, which we will work on partly in class the week of 4/3.

Finally, if you haven't recently checked in on the eaglets, you won't believe how quickly they have grown. The older chick is stretching his/her wings and moving about on those prominent claws. Check out this screen shot of the dad on "guard duty". He has brought back fish for the family to eat. Mom is still tearing bits of meat and handing it to the chicks. Eventually, they will begin pulling the meat themselves.

Monday, March 13, 2017

End of Trimester

This week we will complete our study of local Native American culture by completing and discussing "The Leap," the short story by Louise Erdrich. We'll look at the five required elements of a short story.

On Day 3 is a Membean Test, then we will examine Native American poetry and its similarities to Jewish prayer.

Day 4 will include our first lit circle discussions on the sci-fi/fantasy genre novels.

New journal entry due Friday afternoon. See Google Classroom for the prompt.

ANY BONUS PASSES YOU WISH TO USE FOR 2nd TRIMESTER ARE DUE TO ME BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON (4/16).

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Native American Connections

This week we explore the interconnectedness of all earthly inhabitants. Block 6 will be combined with Mrs. Cohen's class in the Media Center all week. All other blocks will be in the Mac Lab, unless construction noise forces us to move to the Green Wall Lab again. Continue with Membean and reading your novel. The novels should be finished by the end of the month. Next week we will have our first lit circle meetings.

I will return the essays in class tomorrow. FYI, no one scored 100%, and a few students will want to revise and resubmit no later than Friday for a revised score up to 75%.

Monday - You may finish working on the group tasks from Friday. If your group completes all four tasks, you have the choice to help others or work on your previous Jewish Studies project.

Tuesday - Thursday "A" schedule days. You will have a series of tasks that will compare Judaism and Native American ceremony and ritual. We will read a short story by a Native American author and analyze the elements of literature in the story, and we will talk about how heritage influences a writer.

Friday is our annual Purim celebration. Dress up! Have fun! Any essay revisions are due to me in the morning 3/10.

Monday, March 13 will be our field trip to Ocmulgee National Monument where your teachers have prepared a series of activities that will help you understand the importance of the culture we are examining right in our own backyard.

Tuesday, March 14, we will continue with the integrated unit as we look at poetry from this culture and how similar it is to our own prayers in tefillah.

The eaglets are growing so quickly! This bird of prey is highly valued by Native Americans and protected by the U.S. Government.