Peer Assessing and Creative Writing

The Informational Essay: Peer Assessment  Our time writing the informational essay as part of the District Writing Performance Task has come to an end and now it is time to assess our work. While I will certainly be carefully reviewing your essay myself, I also wanted to give you an opportunity to get feedback and an assessment score from your peers (your classmates). 

Students, you will be sharing your informational essays via Google Docs with an assigned peer reviewer today. First, the peer reviewer will read your essay and then using the "Comments" tool offer both a positive compliment regarding the strength of your writing and some suggestions on areas you may be able to improve. Your peer reviewer may even use the "Suggesting" tool to propose some specific changes to your writing. Review the three steps below on how to be a successful peer editor. 

Next, peer reviewers will be using a rubric to score the essay's "Statement of Purpose and Focus and Organization." Let's review the rubric below so we clearly understand what criteria you must meet to receive a given score. (A copy of the rubric can also be found here.) Using the "Comments" tool you will leave a score of either 4 points, 3 points, 2 points, 1 point, or 0 points. 

Students, you can find out who your peer reviewer is here. First, locate your name listed before the arrow. The name after the arrow is the peer who will reviewing your essay. Next, click 'Share,' type the student's name in the 'People' box, make sure it states 'Can Edit,' and then click 'Done.' 

Peer reviewers, you can now find the essay you will be reviewing in the 'Shared with Me' section of your Google Drive. Peer reviewers, you are not to change the text of the essay you are reviewing in any way and are only to use the 'Comments' and 'Suggesting' functions of the Google Doc. Thank you for taking your responsibility as a peer reviewer seriously! 

100 Word Challenge: Writing Time  If time permits, you may work on this week's 100 Word Challenge. Remember, this the task this week is to weave the five words (opened, celebration, strange, red, and nervous) into a narrative. If you're considering writing a winter and/or holiday story, you find descriptive word lists here and here. 

Homework (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: 5 Words (Week #15) story, which we will publish on Friday, December 12. 

The Writing Performance Task: Wrapping It Up

There are two weeks left in the quarter. Do you have the strength to finish strong?

Accelerated Reader: Silent Reading, Logging, and Test Taking  Welcome to a new week! If you finished books over the weekend and need to take quizzes, please do so now. Others may need to transfer their logged reading from their paper log to their Digital Reading Log. Otherwise, please use this time for silent reading. 

Writing an Informational Essay: Finishing Touches  Today is the last class day to work on the informational essay component of the Writing Performance Task. Please use this time to bring your essay to a conclusion, put all the various pieces together, and to review the finished product. Tomorrow you and your classmates will participate in a peer review and assessment activity, in which you will have an opportunity to provide feedback on each other's essays.

100 Word Challenge: 5 Words  This is the final 100 Word Challenge of the year 2014. Let's make an especially strong effort this week! (FYI, I will be assessing this week's writing piece using our 100 Word Challenge Writing Rubric.) This week's prompt is another collection of five words. Learn more below. 

Since it is the holiday season, the collection of words could be used to craft a holiday story. If that's the direction you're interested in going, consider using some of the words and phrases used to describe winter and wintertime here and Christmas here.  

You can find the document 100 Word Challenge: 5 Words (Week #15). We will publish our stories on Friday, December 12.  

Homework (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: 5 Words (Week #15) story, which we will publish on Friday, December 12. 

The Luckiest Teacher in the World

Team Lakeview at the 'Educator of the Year' Banquet 

Mr. and Mrs. McGinty

Thank You, Students!  As many of you know, I received a special honor as a teacher last night. Thank you to all of you who have encouraged and supported me leading up to this special event. I'm especially grateful to the team of girls in 6th period yesterday who borrowed their mothers' make-up kits and diligently tried to disguise my black eye (I ended up removing the make-up, but I hope you don't think I looked too bad). In my speech I made sure to thank you, my students, because you are the reason I do what I do. You inspire me, motivate me, challenge me, and make coming to school each day a joy. I appreciate each of your for who you are as individuals and the contributions you make to our classroom community. I feel like the luckiest teacher in the world! Thanks again for all you do! 

Writing an Informational Essay: The Conclusion Paragraph  I know many of you are at different places with regards to the informational essay component of the District Writing Assessment. My hope, however, is that most of will have an essay completed by early next week. We do need to move things along, so today I'm going to introduce a few strategies for tackling the conclusion paragraph. 

The conclusion paragraph is the place where you bring your essay to a close. It's an opportunity to restate your thesis in a new way, summarize your main points, and leave your reader with something to think about (perhaps with a question, a quotation, or a 'call to action').

To learn more about writing an effective conclusion paragraph, check out the link here. 

Now, it's time to continue working on the Writing Performance Task: Part Two (The Informational Essay). Please let me know how I can best support you. 

The 100 Word Challenge: Publishing Time  Before we publish our 100 Word Challenge: Photograph (Week #14) stories, take one last moment to carefully review your writing. At the very least, make sure your spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar are as good as they can be. 

Next, it's publishing time! Copy your story from your Google Doc and then login to Kidblog. Make a new post. This week you once again get to title your story whatever you find fitting; just make sure you put 100 WC: before your chosen title. Paste your story. Finally, click "Publish".  

Next, copy the web address of your posted story and then head over to 100 Word Challenge. Scroll down and paste the web address into the box that says 'Blog Link'. Enter your first name, 6th Grade, Lakeview Middle School, and for location: Watsonville, California, U.S.A. Finally, click 'Submit'. Congratulations! You have published yet another story. I can't wait to hear about the feedback you receive.  

Homework  Make sure you read for 30 minutes at least once over the weekend and make an entry on your Digital Reading Log. I will be grading this week's Reading Log on Monday, December 8. 

The Writing Performance Task: The Informational Essay (Day 3)

Writing an Informational Essay: The Body Paragraphs  Today we continue working on our informational essays as part of the District Writing Performance Task. Our focus now is on developing strong body paragraphs. If you think of an essay like a hamburger, the introductory and conclusion paragraphs are the buns that hold the whole thing together, while the body paragraphs make up the actual content of the burger. The body paragraphs are the meat of the essay.  

  

You have already provided your reader with a preview of the content of your body paragraphs in the thesis statement of your introductory paragraph. 

The first component of a body paragraph is the topic sentence which tells your reader what your paragraph will be about. If you're writing a multi-paragraph essay, you may also want to include a transition word or phrase at the beginning of each body paragraph's topic sentence (e.g, To Begin, Secondly, Finally). 

Next, the supporting sentences of the body paragraph come after the topic sentence and essentially support and develop the main idea of the paragraph. The supporting sentences should include examples, evidence, and elaboration on the topic of the paragraph. 

Now that you hopefully have a better idea about the structure of an essay's body paragraphs, it's time to start developing your own. Please open the document Writing Performance Task: Part Two (The Informational Essay) and get to work. 

(1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry. (2.) Complete your 100 Word Challenge: Photograph (Week #14) story, which we will also publish tomorrow, Friday, December 5.   

The Writing Performance Task: The Informational Essay (Day 2)

Writing an Informational Essay: The Introductory Paragraph  Yesterday you had an opportunity to review the prompt for the essay about the Grand Canyon, reread the three source articles, and begin planning your essay. Today your focus shifts to beginning to craft the introductory paragraph. Considering this is an assessment, I obviously cannot tell you what to write but I can remind you of the components that make a strong essay, and in this case an effective introductory paragraph. The introduction paragraph establishes a connection with your reader and serves as a roadmap, so they know where you will be heading in your essay. To review what should be included in an introductory paragraph, watch the video and examine the image below. 
   

After you establish your opening sentence or hook (which can include an interesting question, a startling fact or statistic, or a personal anecdote), you should transition to your thesis statement. To review what a thesis statement (or sentence) is check out the information below.

Now you are ready to begin writing your own introductory paragraph. You can do so using the document Writing Performance Task: Part Two (The Informational Essay) we started using yesterday.

Spelling Bee  Lakeview will be holding its annual Spelling Bee next Thursday. Do you want to compete? Try to spell the words correctly today and let me know if you would like to be considered for next Thursday's competition.

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: Photograph (Week #14) story, which we will also publish on Friday, December 5.   

The Writing Performance Task: The Informational Essay

Why is the Grand Canyon important? That will be the subject of your informational essay. 

Part Two of the Writing Performance Task: Overview  Today we continue our work on the District Writing Assessment, which comes in the form of a two-part Writing Performance Task. Our task today is to begin working on part two, which is a 3-5 paragraph informational essay about the Grand Canyon. First, let's review together the District provided directions for the assignment and explanation of the scoring categories below.

Planning Your Essay  Before you begin writing your essay, it's important to review the three source articles and your notes and begin planning. I would recommend rereading the articles with a set of fresh eyes, as your purpose now is to identify examples and details that help you demonstrate why the Grand Canyon is an important and special place. As you read, see if you can categorize the information and details into three "big ideas" about the Grand Canyon. This will help when its comes time to organize your essay. You will use the document Writing Performance Task: Part Two (The Informational Essay), which can be found in your Language Arts folders, to take notes, plan, and ultimately write your essay. Tomorrow we will begin work on writing of the introduction and body paragraph(s) of our informative essays. 

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: Photograph (Week #14) story, which we will publish on Friday, December 5.   

Welcome Back!

Accelerated Reader: Silent Reading, Logging, and Test Taking  Welcome back from Thanksgiving break! Let's ease into the new week with various A.R. activities. If you finished books over the break and need to take quizzes, please do so now. Others may need to transfer their logged reading from their paper log to their Digital Reading Log. Otherwise, please use this time for silent reading.  

100 Word Challenge: Photograph  For this week's 100 Word Challenge, your task is to write 100 words inspired by the photograph below. It was taken by Pam O’Brien on Inis Oirr on the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. What story does this image inspire you to tell? I can't wait to see your creativity and developing writing skills in action. You can find the document 100 Word Challenge: Photograph (Week #14) in your Language Arts folders. Looking for a list of sailing and nautical terms to make your story sound more authentic? Try some of these. We will publish our stories on Friday, December 5.

Map of Inis Oirr and the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland

Part One of the Writing Performance Task: The Completion  Today is the last day to work on part one of the Writing Performance Task. Please review each of your three constructed responses from the document Writing Performance Task: Part One and make sure they are good as they can be. Tomorrow we begin "Part Two: The Essay." 

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: Photograph (Week #14) story, which we will publish on Friday, December 5.