Quiz and Library Day

Fragment Quiz  Show me what you've learned about identifying fragments by taking the quiz here. If you finish early, you may read your A.R. book and/or take an A.R. test.  

Library Visit  We're going to the library today! This is your opportunity to trade in books you've finished or are unsatisfied with and get new ones. If you need help finding a good book within your ZPD, let me know. If you are not looking for a book, you may silently read, take A.R. tests, or work on your various digital assignments. If you need help with your poetry assignment from yesterday, I will be available as well. Use your time wisely!  

Homework  Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a digital Reading Log entry.

Fixing Fragments and Marking Poems

Grammar Warm Up: Identifying and Fixing Fragments  Let's continue practicing identifying and working with fragments. Visit the Online Writing Lab today and identify whether the clause is a fragment or complete sentence in Exercise 1. After completing the 10 questions, click "show my score" and find our how you did. Next, try Exercise 2. This time you will be provided with fragment and you need to identify the choice that corrects the fragment so it is now a complete sentence. Once again, click "show my score" to get your results. Tomorrow, we will be having a 'Fragments Quiz' in which you will similarly need to be able to both identify fragments and correct them. If you would like to learn more about fragments and study for your quiz, try the links here and here.

Poetry Marking: "On Turning 10"  In this activity, you will explore how the speaker of the poem “On Turning 10” feels about growing up by marking the text and answering questions. You can find the activity in your Language Arts folders and a link to it is here. 

Homework  (1.)  Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a digital Reading Log entry. (2.) We are going to the library tomorrow! Bring your books if you would like to exchange them for new ones. (3.) Study for your 'Fragments' quiz. (4.) Complete the 'Poetry Marking' activity. Due: Friday, September 12.   

Failure Is Not an Option!

Alert! Alert! Alert!  This weekend I was beyond disappointed to discover that a large number of you did not complete (and many did not even attempt to complete) your "Eleven" character trait analysis paragraph. What is so "alarming" about is this is that this assignment counts toward your assessment grade and not completing it basically ensures that your current grade in Language Arts becomes an F. What's going on? Were you confused about the assignment? Did you need extra time? How can I help? I will provide some extra time in class today to work on it and extend the deadline until tomorrow. If it's still not complete after tomorrow, you will be pulled into my class at lunch in order to get it done. Failure is not an option! A rubric that shows how the paragraph will be graded can be found here. Those of you who are complete with the assignment and feel satisfied with your final product, may use this time to silent read and take A.R. tests.    

Making Inferences in "Dear Future"  Making an inference means using clues from the text and our own experiences to come to a conclusion. Watch the video below to learn more: 

Now apply what you've learned about inferences to the short story "Dear Future" we've just read, using the document 'Making Inferences ('Dear Future')' in your Language Arts folders. A copy of the assignment cal also be found here and a copy of the short story can be found here. Making inferences in order to answer the two questions and then explain what clues from the story enabled you to come to that conclusion. 

Homework  (1.)  Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a digital Reading Log entry. (Remember that your reading log has been placed in your Language Arts folders. If for some reason you need to make a copy of the reading log, you can find a link to it here.)  (2.)  Complete your 'Making Inferences' assignment, which will be due this Friday, September 12.  (3.)  Final Deadline for "Character Trait Paragraph" (Writer's Workout #1) is tomorrow, Tuesday, September 9.  

You're Awesome!

Accelerated Reader Appreciation  Happy Friday! I would like to take a moment today to celebrate each of you. I know the adjustment to middle school has not been an easy one for all of you, but I think for the most part you should be really proud of how far you've come and how awesome you've already proven yourselves to be. Simply: You're Awesome!  

You know who is especially awesome? The students who are already racking up reading points in Accelerated Reader! The readers features below are already making measurable progress towards their reading goals. Keep up the great work and keep reading!  

CELDT Test Overview  The annual testing window for the CELDT test has arrived. The CELDT is a test that many of you are familiar with. It is a very important test that determines your proficiency level in the English language and monitors your progress in learning in English from year to year. Many of you will be taking it again this year, so we will dedicate a few minutes of class time providing and overview of the purpose and format of the test. For those of you who are taking it, we want you to feel prepared and be successful! We all believe in you!  

Analyzing Characters in 'Dear Future'  Today we are going to continue the short story "Dear Future." Our focus will be on analyzing the character of James, as we track his changing attitudes about growing up from the beginning of the story to the end. We will also consider the question: What causes James's attitude to change? Once again, you can find a copy of the story "Dear Future" in your Language Arts folders (and a link to it here). The 'Analyzing Characters' assignment was placed in your folders and a link to it can be found here. (This assignment will be due Friday of next week.)

Homework  Make sure you read for 30 minutes at least once over the weekend and make an entry on your Digital Reading Log. (Remember that your reading log has been placed in your Language Arts folders. If for some reason you need to make a copy of the reading log, you can find a link to it here.) I will be grading this week's Reading Log on Monday, September 8.

Fragments, Fiction, and the Future

Warm Up: 'Identifying Fragments' Practice  To get started we are going to continue practice identifying fragments. For a refresher on what a fragment is and how to identify one, check out the link here. Next, identify fragments and win prizes by doing the online activity here. Read each passage and use your mouse to choose the part that is a fragment. Finally, for homework tonight, continue your practice by completing the activity 'Identifying Fragments - Practice' in your Language Arts folders. You can also find a link to the document here.  

Scope Magazine Fiction Story: 'Dear Future'   Today we are going to continue to explore short fiction and characters by beginning to read a story from Scope Magazine entitled "Dear Future." Following in the footsteps of Sandra Cisneros's "Eleven" and Lois Lowry's "Who's the New Kid?," "Dear Future" is another piece of literature about identity and growing up. As we read, we will pay special focus to making inferences and analyzing characters. You can find a copy of the story "Dear Future" in your Language Arts folders (and a link to it here). Additionally, two "Dear Future" activity worksheets ('Making Inferences' and 'Analyzing Characters') have also been placed in your folders; links to these assignments are also here and here. We will spend the next several class periods working through this story (and its accompanying 'paired text') together.   

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a digital Reading Log entry. (Remember that your reading log has been placed in your Language Arts folders. If for some reason you need to make a copy of the reading log, you can find a link to it here.) (2.) Tomorrow is Friday! We have several assignments from the week that need to completed and "turned in" tomorrow Friday, September 5, including: Comparing Texts in 'Eleven'/'Who's the New Girl?', Identifying Fragments, and the Character Traits Paragraph (Writer's Workout #1).  

Avoiding Sentence Fragments

Grammar in Context - Sentence Fragments  A sentence expresses a complete thought. A fragment is only a piece of a thought. Let's examine several fragments in the short story "Eleven" and see if we can transform them into complete sentences. 



BrainPop Video: Sentence Fragments  Let's continue to learn about what sentence fragments look like and how to avoid them by watching a BrainPop video. I will show the video whole-class and then lead you in an interactive quiz. If afterwards, you would like to explore the topic independently in BrainPop, you may. Just go to Google Drive. Click on the group of squares located towards the top of your Drive screen. Click "More" to see additional apps. Locate "BrainPOP" and click. 

Once you're in the BrainPop program, enter 'Sentence Fragments' in the search bar. From there, locate your chosen topic and explore the video and related activities. 

  
Homework  Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a digital Reading Log entry. (Remember that your reading log has been placed in your Language Arts folders. If for some reason you need to make a copy of the reading log, you can find a link to it here.)   

"Eleven" Extension Activities

Warm Up: Character Traits Paragraph  Welcome to a new week! I hope you had a restful and wonderful Labor Day weekend. You may begin today by continuing to work on your 'Character Traits Paragraph' ('Writer's Workout #1') for the short story "Eleven." If you have already finished your a paragraph, you may silent read and/or take A.R. tests. Reminder: the 'Character Traits Paragraph' ('Writer's Workout #1') must be completed by Friday, September 5.  

"Who's the New Kid" - Comparing Texts  Read the "Who's the New Kid?" by Lois Lowry below. What comparisons can you make between Lois Lowry's experience and Rachel's. What are some similarities and differences between "Who's the New Kid" and "Eleven"? Share your ideas using the document 'Comparing Texts - Eleven/Who's the New Kid' in your Language Arts folders. You may also find a copy the document here.  

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a digital Reading Log entry. (2.) Complete 'Character Traits' paragraph ('Writer's Workout #1'). (3.) Complete 'Comparing Texts' assignment. Both assignments due this Friday, September 5.