'The Circuit' and Sacred Reading Time

 Today's Learning Objective   Understand the author's use of description and explain the effects of literary devices (personification, simile, imagery)

Guided Reading: The Circuit  Today we will finish reading from The Circuit by Francisco Jiménez. You can find the reading selection here. We will also continue to analyze literary devices using the document The Circuit - Literary Devices and visualize descriptive writing using the document The Circuit - Visualizing. 

Sacred Reading Time  If time permits today, I want to offer you some uninterrupted class time to simply read and commune with your books. You may also use this time to take an A.R. test or complete a Digital Reading Log entry. Enjoy this time!

Homework  (1.) Complete the assignments The Circuit - Literary Devices and The Circuit - Visualizing, both of which are due tomorrow, Friday, November 13. (2.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and, if you choose, make a reading log entry using the Digital Reading Log. (Remember you must have made at least two entries by the end of the day Friday.)

The Circuit by Francisco Jiménez

 Today's Learning Objective   Understand the author's use of description and explain the effects of literary devices (personification, simile, imagery)

Guided Reading: The Circuit  Today we will be reading from an excerpt of The Circuit by Francisco Jiménez. You can find the reading selection beginning on page 4 here.

As we read our job is to pay special attention to Jiménez's use of literary devices. You will use document The Circuit - Literary Devices (in your Language Arts Google Classroom) to make note of the imagery and figurative language, such as similes and personification, that you come across. 

Additionally, we are going to use Jiménez's use of figurative language, imagery, and descriptive details to practice visualizing. When you form a mental picture from a description, you are visualizing. You will use the document The Circuit - Visualizing (in your Language Arts Google Classroom) to describe the mental pictures you form form the details in the story.
  
Homework  (1.) Continue working on The Circuit - Literary Devices and The Circuit - Visualizing, both of which are due on Friday, November 13. (2.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and, if you choose, make a reading log entry using the Digital Reading Log. (Remember you must have made at least two entries by the end of the day Friday.)  

Previewing 'The Circuit'

 Today's Learning Objective   Understand the author's use of description and explain the effects of literary devices (personification, simile, imagery)

Newsela Article: "Group pushes to protect children working on U.S. tobacco farms"  In light of our recent examination of child labor in the garment industry and the upcoming reading of an excerpt from Francisco Jiménez's The Circuit about his childhood growing up in migrant farming family, let's begin today by reading a recent article about the plight of children working on U.S. tobacco farms. You can find a link to the article in your a Language Arts Google Classroom. Please set the reading level to 950L. Read the article carefully. Take the quiz, and then write constructed response paragraph.
  
Build Background: The Circuit  Today we begin reading an excerpt from Francisco Jiménez's memoir The Circuit. Like an autobiography, a memoir is an example of nonfiction and is a true account of a person's life written by that person. However, while an autobiography is typically longer and focuses on a large portion of a person's life, memoirs tend to be shorter and focused on a singular event or a certain part of a person's life.

Author Francisco Jiménez

Jiménez's The Circuit is focused on his early memories of his life a young Mexican American boy in a family of migrant farm workers. Many of you in this class who are the children and grandchildren of migrant farm workers can probably relate to Jiménez's experiences as a boy, when he went by the name Panchito. 

Francisco (Panchito) Jiménez, as a boy

For additional background on life as a migrant farm worker, reference the text box below.

To understand a little more about the basic story of The Circuit, watch the video preview below.

Literary Devices  One way that good writers, like Francisco Jiménez, make their stories come alive for their readers is by using literary devices, such as imagery, similes, and personification. Literary devices can help readers understand a character's life and surroundings. They also help readers form mental pictures of a story's setting and events.  

Today let's focus on similes and personification, which are examples of figurative language. In figurative language, writing goes beyond the actual meanings of words so the reader gains new insights into the objects or subjects in the work. When you describe something by comparing it to something else, for instance, you are using figurative language. 

A simile is a comparison of two things that have some quality in common, and usually contains a word such as like, as, resembles, or than. For some examples of similes check out the short video below. 

Personification is another type of figurative language. Personification is the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or an idea. To see how personification works watch the video below.  

Tomorrow, as we begin reading from The Circuit, be on the look out for imagery and examples of figurative language, such as similes and personification. 

Homework  (1.) Continue working on your Newsela Article: "Group pushes to protect children working on U.S. tobacco farms", which is due on Friday, November 13. (2.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and, if you choose, make a reading log entry using the Digital Reading Log. (Remember you must have made at least two entries by the end of the day Friday.)  

Happy Friday!

Working hard at Lakeview Middle School pays off!

Assessment: 'Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?" Quiz  Happy Friday! Today you have the opportunity to demonstrate what you know about the central ideas and details of the nonfiction article "Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?" by taking an online quiz, which can be found here. You are encouraged to refer back to the text article at any point during the quiz. I will read each question and answer set aloud to you and then provide you time you need to complete your assessment. After you have submitted your quiz, you may move on to the activity featured below. 

Newsela Article: "China Lifts Law Limiting Families to 1 Child"  Let's continue to examine nonfiction, while also practicing identifying central ideas and details, by exploring a Newsela article about changes to China's one child policy. You can find a link to the article within your Language Arts Google Classroom. 

Make sure to set the reading level to 830L (5th grade). Read the article carefully. Take the quiz and then write the short paragraph response.The deadline for completing this activity is Friday, November 13. 

Sacred Reading Time  If time permits today, I want to offer you some uninterrupted class time to simply read and commune with your books. Some of you will invited to read outside, others in a cozy corner of the room, while most of you will hopefully become enraptured by the words on your pages right at your desks. Enjoy this time!

Focusing on Central Ideas and Details and Summarizing

 Today's Learning Objective  * Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details. * Provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgements.

 

'Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?': Focus on Central Ideas and Details  Today we are going to continue examining the narrative nonfiction article "Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?" together, as we work to dertermine the central ideas of the text by focusing on the article's details. Remember, a central idea is one of the main points the author is making and is always supported with details from the text. You can find the assignment Central Ideas and Details ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?") in your Google Classroom.

Summarizing "Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?"  Now that we've finished reading and closely examining the central Ideas and details of "Why Are Your Clothes so Cheap?", we are going to write an objective summary of the text. An objective summary is a short statement or paragraph that tells what an article or a story is about. It does not include irrelevant details or the opinions of the person writing it.The document Summarizing ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?", which can be found in your Language Arts Google Classroom, provides you with a scaffold and question prompts to help guide you in writing your summary. This assignment will be due next Friday, November 13.

Scholastic Book Order  Tired of the books in the school library? Looking to buy a book just for you? I will be distributing a Scholastic Book Order catalogues today. Look through it. If you see something to your liking, consider buying it. By buying books through Scholastic, not only do you find great book at great prices, but you have an opportunity to earn points for your class so we add more books to our classroom library. 

You may buy books in several ways. You may bring in your order form with cash or a check made our to Scholastic Reading Club. Or you can simply order books online at scholastic.com/readingclub. Once you get there make sure you enter our class code: FMRJ4. 

The deadline for ordering books for this order will be: Tomorrow, Friday, November 6. 

Homework  (1.) Complete and 'turn in' the following assignments Identifying Nonfiction Elements ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?") and Central Ideas and Details ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?"), both of which are be due tomorrow, Friday, November 6. (2.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and, if you choose, make a reading log entry using the Digital Reading Log. (Remember you must have made at least two entries by the end of the day tomorrow.)  

Central Ideas and Details in 'Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?'

 Today's Learning Objective  Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details.

 

'Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?': Focus on Central Ideas and Details  Today we are going to continue examining the narrative nonfiction article "Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?" together, as we work to dertermine the central ideas of the text by focusing on the article's details. Remember, a central idea is one of the main points the author is making and is always supported with details from the text. You can find the assignment Central Ideas and Details ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?") in your Google Classroom.

Scholastic Book Order  Tired of the books in the school library? Looking to buy a book just for you? I will be distributing a Scholastic Book Order catalogues today. Look through it. If you see something to your liking, consider buying it. By buying books through Scholastic, not only do you find great book at great prices, but you have an opportunity to earn points for your class so we add more books to our classroom library. 

You may buy books in several ways. You may bring in your order form with cash or a check made our to Scholastic Reading Club. Or you can simply order books online at scholastic.com/readingclub. Once you get there make sure you enter our class code: FMRJ4. 

The deadline for ordering books for this order will be: Friday, November 6. 

Homework  (1.) Continue working on the documents Identifying Nonfiction Elements ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?") and Central Ideas and Details ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?"), both of which will be due on Friday, November 6. (2.)
Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and, if you choose, make a reading log entry using the Digital Reading Log. (Remember you must have made at least two entries by the end of the day Friday.)  

Narrative Nonfiction: 'Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?"

 Today's Learning Objective  Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details.

 

Preparing to Read 'Why Are Your Clothes so Cheap?': Video and Vocabulary Preview  Today we will read a nonfiction features that tells the extraordinary story of former child garment worker and current labor activist Kalpona Akter. The story explores the high human cost of our inexpensive clothing. But before we read, we will watch a video in which the author of the article "Why Are Your Clothes so Cheap?", Scope Magazine's Kristin Lewis, helps us understand Kalpona’s story by introducing the topic and explaining some challenging concepts, such as sweatshops and workers’ rights.

Next, we will preview some of the key vocabulary in the story featured below. 

As we read the article, please also be on the lookout for the following words and concepts: garment worker, developing country, sweatshop, working conditions, minimum wage, union, strike, labor activist, petition, and supply chain. As you come to each of these words, first use context clues to try to determine the words meaning and then confirm that understanding by checking the word's definition. 

Finally, before we read I want you to preview some of the article's text features, including the heading, subheadings, images, and photographs. Use the document Identifying Nonfiction Elements ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?"), which is located in your Language Arts Google Classroom, to analyze these features and to make a prediction regarding what the article will mostly be about. Note: You will continue to use this document to analyze the text both during and after reading the article as well. 

Guided Reading of 'Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?': Focus on Central Ideas and Details  We will now read the narrative nonfiction article "Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?" together (a copy of the article has also been placed in your Language Arts Google Classroom). As we read, our objective is to determine the central ideas of the text by focusing on the article's details. Remember, a central idea is one of the main points the author is making and is always supported with details from the text. You can find the assignment Central Ideas and Details ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?") in your Google Classroom.

Scholastic Book Order  Tired of the books in the school library? Looking to buy a book just for you? I will be distributing a Scholastic Book Order catalogues today. Look through it. If you see something to your liking, consider buying it. By buying books through Scholastic, not only do you find great book at great prices, but you have an opportunity to earn points for your class so we add more books to our classroom library. 

You may buy books in several ways. You may bring in your order form with cash or a check made our to Scholastic Reading Club. Or you can simply order books online at scholastic.com/readingclub. Once you get there make sure you enter our class code: FMRJ4. 

The deadline for ordering books for this order will be: Friday, November 6. 

Homework  (1.) Continue working on the documents Identifying Nonfiction Elements ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?") and Central Ideas and Details ("Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?"), both of which will be due on Friday, November 6. (2.)
Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and, if you choose, make a reading log entry using the Digital Reading Log. (Remember you must have made at least two entries by the end of the day Friday.)