2018-19 Archive

MAY
5/28 – 5/31
“Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” – Romeo

HOMEWORK: RCP #3 — Due Monday, June 3rd

CLASSWORK: Romeo and Juliet

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5/20 – 5/24
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – Shakespeare

HOMEWORK: Vocabulary Unit 8 sentences — due Friday voc. unit 8 sentences

CLASSWORK:
> Independent Reading — RCP #3 due on June 3rd
> Vocabulary Unit 8 bookwork and review — test on Friday
> Romeo and Juliet — themes, prologue, Act I

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5/13 – 5/17
“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” – T. Roosevelt

HOMEWORK: none
(But, it wouldn’t hurt to look at our new unit of vocabulary words outside of class, right?)

CLASSWORK:
End of Poetry Unit Response (20 points, due Wednesday)
Vocabulary Unit 8 bookwork – Test next Friday, May 24th
Independent Reading — RCP #3 due June 3rd
Introduction to Shakespeare

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5/6 – 5/10

STATE TESTING

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APRIL
4/22 – 5/2
“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

CLASSWORK: Micrographic Portrait — pencil version due on Friday, Warm-ups #1-4 due on Friday, 4/26
HOMEWORK: Find a poem for Poetry Cafe, get it approved by me and then PRACTICE for your performance. POETRY CAFE

This week is focused on Poetry Tasting, reviewing figurative language and working on our micrographic portraits.

FINAL COLORED VERSION OF MICROGRAPHIC PORTRAITS DUE ON THURSDAY, MAY 2nd

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APRIL
HAPPY POETRY MONTH!!

“We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” – John Keating, Dead Poet’s Society


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MARCH
YIKES! How did it get to be Wednesday already? I apologize for not updating information on Monday!

CLASSWORK: We’re working on descriptive language and imagery this week. We’ll also read a new short story, have a book chat and put together our selfie grids.

HOMEWORK: none

DUE: RCP #2

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3/4 – 3/5

CLASSWORK: Vocabulary Test will be on Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday we will focus on a new short story. On Friday we will have a special schedule for International Day and the Benito Juarez Celebration.

HOMEWORK: Study for the vocabulary test, RCP #2 (due Monday, March 11th)

Seeing Venus with New Eyes

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FEBRUARY
2/25 – 3/1

VOCABULARY TEST POSTPONED TO TUESDAY, MARCH 5th

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2/19 – 2/22

We are focusing on vocabulary unit 6 this week. Test will be on Tuesday, February 26th.

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2/11 – 2/15
“… we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own source of anguish, and with some measure of triumph.” Elie Wiesel

CLASSWORK: We are starting vocabulary unit 6 this week, continuing with flash fiction and independent reading and looking at a mini-poetry set about … love. 😉

HOMEWORK: Study vocabulary words using memrise: click here and make sure your Interactive Notebool is completed (pages 1-12) and turned in by Wednesday! (refer to the Home page of this blog for pdf versions of all short stories and my Interactive Notebook)


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2/4 – 2/8
“The snow was too light to stay, the ground too warm to keep it. And the strange spring snow fell only in that golden moment of dawn, the turning of the page between night and day.” – Shannon Hale, Palace of Stone

CLASSWORK: We’re primarily working in our Short Story Interactive Notebook this week. We will read a longer story, “The Strangers That Came To Town” and practice using textual evidence to support answers to comprehension questions.

HOMEWORK: Next week students will be submitting their Interactive Notebook for grading of the first half (pages 1 – 12). Make sure you haven’t left areas incomplete. If you missed a short story, please read on your own.

NEXT WEEK:
> Starting Vocabulary Unit 6!
> FRIENDSHIP WEEK
>>> Monday – Sports Day
>>> Tuesday – Identical Day
>>> Wednesday – Pink Day
>>> Thursday – Random Holiday Day
>>> Friday – Flashback Friday

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JANUARY 2019
1/28 – 1/31
“Science and fiction both begin with similar questions: What if? Why? How does it all work? But they focus on different areas of life on earth.” – Margaret Atwood

CLASSWORK: We’re taking the easy CBM test this week, finishing up unit 5 vocabulary with a test on Wednesday, playing with some flash fiction and reviewing The Sound of Thunder with notes in our Interactive Notebook.

HOMEWORK: You need to study for the vocabulary test on Wednesday.
Use Memrise:click here


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NO POST 1/19 – 1/22
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1/14 – 1/18
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury

Class focus: Voc. Unit 5, Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains”, creative writing practice, independent reading.

Homework: Make sure p. 7 of Interactive Notebook is complete, study vocabulary words

> memrise: click here

CREATIVE HAT DAY IS NEXT FRIDAY!!! THE CHALLENGE IS TO CREATE A WEARABLE SCULPTURE — FLEX YOUR CREATIVE MUSCLES AND GO FOR IT! If you need supplies I can help — just come see me!


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1/8 – 1/11
“The year was past the edge, heading away from the dark… Of course, dark would come again, but that was in the nature of the world. Many things were beginning.” – T. Pratchett

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

CLASSWORK: The plan is to read two short stories this week and respond in our Interactive Notebooks. The stories this week have Situational Irony. We will also do some independent reading and some creative writing. Next week we will start vocabulary unit 5. memrise unit 5:click here

HOMEWORK: Diary entry for Interactive Notebook if not finished in class.

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DECEMBER
12/17 – 12/21
“Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love, is by far, the truest type of love.” – unknown

IN CLASS: We will continue and finish our study of Vocabulary Unit 4 (test on Friday) and read a short story that fits nicely with the time of year.

HOMEWORK: Vocabulary Sentences (due Friday) voc. unit 4 sentences,

Study vocabulary words: memrise
> parts of speech and other review exercises: click here
> Vocabulary Unit 4 words, definitions and syn/ant: Unit 4, Level C words

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12/10 – 12/14
“As I see it, a short story is like a child’s kite – a small wonder, a brief, bright wonder.” – Sean O’Faolain

CLASSWORK: We will begin Vocabulary Unit 4 this week (test next Friday, 12/21), and continue with our short story unit.

HOMEWORK: Study vocabulary words and parts of speech. Memrise: click here


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12/4 – 12/7
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” – C.W. Eliot

IN CLASS: This week will be focused on our short story unit.

HOMEWORK: none


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NOVEMBER
11/26 – 11/30
“Limit your ‘always’ and your ‘nevers’.” – Amy Poehler

IN CLASS: We will finish Vocabulary Unit 3 (test on Friday), put together a Tri 1 Selfie grid, turn in our last set of warm-ups and maybe read our second short story.

HOMEWORK: Study vocabulary words (test next Friday) Memrise Voc. Unit 3, work on RCP #1 (due Friday, Nov. 30th)
due dates for RCPs
Reading Choice Product Options


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11/19 – 11/21
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It turns a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — M. Beattie

IN CLASS: We are starting Vocabulary Unit 3, finishing notes on Elements of a Story, working on RCPs on Wednesday and learning about Irony.

HOMEWORK: Study vocabulary words (test next Friday) Memrise Voc. Unit 3, work on RCP #1 (due Friday, Nov. 30th)
due dates for RCPs
Reading Choice Product Options

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11/13 – 11/16
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – P. Pullman

IN CLASS: We will learn about the elements of a story, read our first short story, do some independent reading and begin our Interactive Notebooks for our Short Story Unit.

HOMEWORK: Determine your RCP and make a plan for completing it by the due date, Nov. 30th.
due dates for RCPs
Reading Choice Product Options

LOOKING AHEAD:
> Starting Voc. Unit 3 on Monday, 11/19
> No school on 11/22 and 11/23
> Voc. Unit 3 Test on Friday, 11/30
> RCP #1 due 11/30
> Trimester 1 ends on 11/30

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11/6 – 11/8
“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” – John F. Kennedy

IN CLASS: We will be finishing up our 3rd set of warm-ups, doing some independent reading and getting ready for Student-led Conferences on Wednesday.

HOMEWORK: It’s a VERY short week and I’m not inclined to give you homework on the VERY long weekend so, NO homework this week.


Can you imagine the psithurism? 🙂
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OCTOBER – NOVEMBER
10/29 – 11/2
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” — J. Maxwell

IN CLASS: This week we will do some independent reading, complete Vocabulary Unit 2, and do some nonfiction reading in the NYTimes Upfront Magazine.

HOMEWORK: Study vocabulary words (test planned for Friday), Finish Illumination (due Wednesday) Here’s my sample to remind you of the guidelines —

LINKS:
> MEMRISE Unit 2 Vocabulary:click here
> Vocabulary Workshop Review Options (I recommend reviewing part of speech)

CALENDAR ITEMS:
> Fall Fest on Wednesday
> Voc. Test on Friday
> Student-led Conferences coming up next Wednesday evening, Nov. 7th and Thursday morning, Nov. 8th
> No school on Monday, Nov. 12th

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10/22 – 10/26
“I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.” – Vincent Van Gogh

IN CLASS: We will work on our essay (due Wednesday), begin Vocabulary Unit 2, design and create an Illumination (due Friday), and read a couple of articles in the Upfront Magazine.

HOMEWORK: Knowing that the essay is due on Wednesday and the Illumination is due on Friday and that you will be given some class time, do what you have to outside of class to meet those deadlines. 🙂 You can do it! Persist!

LINKS:
> MEMRISE Unit 2 Vocabulary:click here
> > a new article about names from The New York Times: No ‘Foreign’ Names for Children, Dear Abby Advised. Furious Parents Replied. and one from The Huffington Post: Dear Abby, Here’s What It’s Really Like To Have A ‘Foreign’ Name in America


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10/15 – 10/19
“Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often.” – S. Statham

IN CLASS: We are finishing up our vocabulary unit with a test on Tuesday. The rest of the week will be mostly dedicated to writing our first essay. A reminder of the details of this assignment:

HOMEWORK: Study vocabulary words, redo/amend any vocabulary sentences needing attention (due Friday), work on your essay (due Wednesday, Oct. 24th)

LINKS:
> a new article about names from The New York Times: No ‘Foreign’ Names for Children, Dear Abby Advised. Furious Parents Replied.
> Voc. Unit 1 definitions with synonyms and antonyms: voc. unit 1 words
> MEMRISE VOC. UNIT 1 REVIEW
> Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Review
> Here is our reading packet: reading packet


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10/8 – 10/10
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.” — Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

IN CLASS: We will continue to study Vocabulary Unit 1, become literate in a variety of context clues and finish the reading packet during this very short week.

HOMEWORK: We will work on vocabulary sentences both in class and as homework. They will be due on Wednesday. Voc. Unit 1 sentences

UPCOMING DATES:
> River Walk Dance on Wednesday
> Vocabulary Test Unit 1 on Tuesday, October 16th

LINKS:
> Voc. Unit 1 definitions with synonyms and antonyms: voc. unit 1 words
> MEMRISE VOC. UNIT 1 REVIEW
> Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Review
> Here is our reading packet: reading packet


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10/1 – 10/5
“The Limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein

IN CLASS: This week we will continue to read through our reading packet and journal responses on a GoogleDoc, start vocabulary unit 1 in our vocabulary workbooks, and get into a routine with our independent reading.

MEMRISE VOC. UNIT 1 REVIEW

Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Review

Here is our reading packet: reading packet

HOMEWORK: This week is busy with Open House on Wednesday evening and our RiverWalk on Friday so, we do not have homework.


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SEPTEMBER
9/24 – 9/28
“To say the name is to begin the story.” — Swampy Cree Indians

HOMEWORK: Find a novel of fiction that you will read during the first 10 minutes of class — potentially starting on Friday. We will go to the school library and browse my class library so, if you don’t already have a book in mind, maybe do a little poking around online (Check out these lists of some popular reads: here and here) or visit The Book Seer for advice.

IN CLASS: We will be working through our reading packet that has a variety of texts (news articles, poetry, personal essays) all focused on the significance and influence of one’s given name). Here is another article about how one’s name influences perceptions and choices: How names influence our destiny Click here to research the popularity and history of your name. Your first writing assignment will be a personal essay where you share your thoughts and feelings about your name.

Here is our reading packet: reading packet

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9/17 – 9/21
“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon who could not be happy?” — Oscar Wilde

HOMEWORK: Read through Class Syllabus Packet and return signature sheet with your signature and a parent/guardian signature and survey completed. (Due Friday) 8th LA syllabus

IN CLASS: We will finish our 6-word memoir art this week, start reading a variety of texts focused on the value/significance of one’s name and start a Greek & Latin Root Word study. We will start independent reading next week. Do you have a book in mind?


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“My life in 6 words? Okaaaaaay.” – J.Mora

Here’s the little 2 minute video we watched about Six-Word Memoirs: click here
and
Here are some examples of Six-Word Memoirs to inspire: Teens

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“To read a novel is a difficult and complex art. You must be capable not only of great fineness of perception, but of great boldness of imagination if you are going to make use of all that the novelist — the great artist — gives you.” — v. woolf

WELCOME BACK my fabulous 8th graders. We have some exciting changes this year (iPads, bells, early release Fridays) which gives all of us the opportunity to adapt, and grow. But, what hasn’t changed is my commitment to trying to be the best teacher I can — every day! (add heart emoji here)


Here are some interesting articles I’ve recently read (and re-read) about reading! HA! 🙂

> Digital Text Is Changing How Kids Read — Just Not in the Way You Think
> Why ‘Getting Lost In A Book’ Is So Good For You, According To Science
> The Case For Preserving The Pleasure of Deep Reading

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