Happy Thursday!

100 Word Challenge: Finishing Touches and Publishing  It's just about time to publish this week's 100 Word Challenge. Please look over your 100 Word Challenge: ... the silence was deafening... (Week 21) story carefully. Did you skillfully integrate the words "the silence was deafening" from this week's prompt? Does your story flow naturally from beginning to end? Did you use descriptive words and sensory details? Did you carefully review your spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar? Did you make sure your verb tenses are consistent and that you have employed correct and varied sentence structures? Please make sure your piece of writing is good as it 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. Make sure you highlight, color, or bold the five words from this week's prompt, so your readers can locate them easily. 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! 

If you post early enough and time permits, feel free to leave positive comments for your fellow writers from around the world. 

Author's Chair  I would like to invite those of you who are interested to read your stories to the class today. You may want to practice a few read-throughs before you read aloud from the front of the room. Please pay attention to intonation (by making sure your tone changes to match what is being read), phrasing (by reading smoothly and using punctuation to tell you when to stop, pause or emphasize), and expression (by using your voice to express the feeling of what is being read). It takes a lot of courage to get in front of a group of people! During a reading, the audience should remain attentive and respectful, and afterwards should try to offer positive and constructive feedback. (Some "response stems" for feedback can be found below.) 

    
Accelerated Reader Update  We have now reached the half-way point of the quarter, and in ideal world, each of you would have now earned at least half of the points towards your quarter reading goal. I will update each of you on your progress today and stickers will be awarded to those of you who are making a sizable dent in your reading goal.  

Sacred Reading Time  If time permits I offer you the rest of 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!  

Homework  Make sure you read for 30 minutes at least twice over the long weekend and make a couple more entries on your 3rd Quarter Reading Log. Don't forget to try one of the 100 New Year's Reading Resolutions for 2015 and make note of it on your log. I will be grading this week's Reading Log on Tuesday, February 17.

'Tequila Worm' and the 100 Word Challenge

Will Berta and Sofia be able to transform what they find at Johnson's 
Ropa Usada into dresses good enough to wear to Saint Luke's? Find out today.

 Today's Learning Objectives  (1.) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. (2.) Describe how a particular story’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Guided Reading: Tequila Worm  Today we will finish reading the chapter "Five 'New' Dresses" (pgs. 92 - 101) of Tequila Worm. As we read, we will stop periodically to discuss the text and, if time permits, work on the guiding questions from our 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 3). We will also continue to add to our Story Plot Chart ('Tequila Worm').

100 Word Challenge: 'The Silence Was Deafening'  Considering this is a short week and that we are publishing tomorrow, it's imperative that we make progress on this week's 100 Word Challenge. Please continue crafting, revising and editing your 100 Word Challenge: ... the silence was deafening... (Week 21) story. If have done as much as your can on your story independently and would like to arrange a peer edit/revision session with a partner, you may. I will also be available, if you would like to schedule an appointment to meet at the Author's Table.   

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: ... the silence was deafening... (Week 21) story, which we will publish tomorrow, Thursday, February 12. (3.) Continue working on 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 3). 

The 100 Word Challenge and the Sound of Silence

 Today's Learning Objectives  (1.) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. (2.) Describe how a particular story’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Introducing a New 100 Word Challenge  This week's 100 Word Challenge is about sound, or rather, the absence of sound. Review the prompt below and then let's process together. 

The word 'deafening' means very loud. How then can silence (or lack of sound) be deafening? Check out the definitions, examples, and explanations below.

 

What does 'deafening silence' sound like or not sound like? Can you think of situations in which there is what is interpreted to be 'deafening silence'? How might the phrase 'the silence was deafening' find its way into your story? Let's brainstorm! When you are ready, you may begin writing your 100 Word Challenge: ... the silence was deafening... (Week 21), which can be found in your Language Arts folders.    

Guided Reading: Tequila Worm  Today we will begin reading the chapter "Five 'New' Dresses" (pgs. 92 - 101) of Tequila Worm. As we read, we will stop periodically to discuss the text and, if time permits, work on the guiding questions from our 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 3). We will also continue to add to our Story Plot Chart ('Tequila Worm').

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: ... the silence was deafening... (Week 21) story, which we will publish on Thursday, February 12. (3.) Continue working on 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 3). 

'The Tequila Worm' and "Berta's Quinceañera"

Have you ever attended a quinceañera? What was your experience like? 

 Today's Learning Objective  Describe how a particular story’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Preparing the Learner Activities: Tequila Worm  Happy Monday and welcome to a new week of Tequila Worm! You can find your new 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 3) in your Language Arts folders. To help us get "into" the text this week, we will begin with a couple of 'Preparing the Learner Activities.' First, you will examine several general statements (that are relevant to this week's reading) and decide whether you personally agree or disagree. Next, write a response to the 'Journal Write' about a time you spend away from your home and family. 

Guided Reading: Tequila Worm  Today we read the chapter "Berta's Quinceañera" (pgs. 80-91) of Tequila Worm. As we read, we will stop periodically to discuss the text and, if time permits, work on the guiding questions from our 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 3). We will also continue to add to our Story Plot Chart ('Tequila Worm').

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 3) and Story Plot Chart ('Tequila Worm').   

Aloha Friday!

Writing Rubric in Action  By now you are no doubt familiar with the new writing rubric that we have been using to guide and assess our 100 Word Challenge writing. If you need a refresher, check out the rubric below. 

Last week, each of you was asked to submit your best 100 Word Challenge writing selection to me to be graded using the rubric as part of your Language Arts assessment grade. For the most part, I was very impressed! You all have come so far as writers and it shows. If you are curious about how you did, take a look at your submitted story from Kidblog. In the comments section, you will find feedback from me (similar to to the sample posted below) in which I identify your strengths based on the rubric, as well as areas you may need to continue to work on. I also identified your proficiency level based on number of criteria you met. 

To see what this meant for your Language Arts grade, check SchoolLoop and take a look. If you have any questions about my comments, your grade, or the process, please don't hesitate to message me. If you would like to revise your submitted writing based on the feedback your received, you may do that as well. Keep up the great work!  


100 Word Challenge: Finishing Touches and Publishing It's just about time to publish this week's 100 Word Challenge. Please look over your 100 Word Challenge: 5 Words (Week 20) story carefully. Did you skillfully integrate the five words from this week's prompt? Does your story flow naturally from beginning to end? Did you use descriptive words and sensory details? Did you carefully review your spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar? Did you make sure your verb tenses are consistent and that you have employed correct and varied sentence structures? Please make sure your piece of writing is good as it 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. Make sure you highlight, color, or bold the five words from this week's prompt, so your readers can locate them easily. 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! 

Peer Commenting  We have a special request this week to provide a supportive comment for one of your international 100 Word Challenge writing peers.

You may comment on any story published this week from around the world by looking over the list here. 

You also have the option of continuing to connect with Múinteoir Niamh's class in Ireland. Here's a list of some of the names of students from her class (with links to the their most recent story): Marie, Emily, Ray, Elizabeth, Angela, Patricia Niamh, Róisín, Anne, Sara, Brigid, Thomas, Gráinne, Anthony, Tomas, Ellen, Paul, Cathal, Patrick, Mary, Marie, Donnacha, Christy, and Katie.

When leaving a comment, remember to make sure your feedback is specific and positive. What did you like about their story? What did they do well? You may also want to consider asking your student a question and/or sharing a little about yourself. Additionally, please check your spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling before posting. You want to make sure you're representing yourself and our school in a positive and professional manner.

Lastly, if you would like the dialogue to continue, make sure to leave the link to your Kidblog, so if they choose they can contact you in the future. Sign off with your first name and where you're from (Lakeview Middle School, Watsonville, California, U.S.A.). Have fun making connections today!

Sacred Reading Time  If time permits I offer you the rest of class time to simply read and commune with your books. Some of you will invited to read outside (weather permitting), 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!  

Homework  Make sure you read for 30 minutes at least once over the weekend and make an entry on your 3rd Quarter Reading Log. Don't forget to try one of the 100 New Year's Reading Resolutions for 2015 and make note of it on your log. I will be grading this week's Reading Log on Monday, February 9.

'Tequila Worm' and "The Drive-in"

Do you have memories of seeing a movie at the drive-in?

 Today's Learning Objective  Describe how a particular story’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Guided Reading: Tequila Worm  Today we read the chapter "The Drive-In" (pgs. 72-79) of Tequila Worm. As we read, we will stop periodically to discuss the text and, if time permits, work on the guiding questions and 'Preparing the Learner Activities" within our 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 2). We will also continue to add to our Story Plot Chart ('Tequila Worm').   

Academic Free Choice Time  Congratulations! You have earned 'Academic Free Choice Time.' You may do any of the following: (1.) Read a book. (2.) Take an A.R. test. (3.) Work on your 100 Word Challenge: 5 Words (Week 20), which is to be published tomorrow. (4.) Work on your 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 2), which is also due tomorrow. Enjoy this time!    

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Complete your 100 Word Challenge: 5 Words (Week 20) story, which we will publish tomorrow, Friday, February 6. (3.) Complete 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 2), which is due tomorrow, Friday, February 6.

Cleaning Beans in 'Tequila Worm'

"Beauty Inside, Beauty Outside (Aunt Ida Cleaning Pinto Beans)" by LeeNora Parlor

 Today's Learning Objective  Describe how a particular story’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Guided Reading: Tequila Worm  Today we read the chapter "Cleaning Beans" (pgs. 61-71) of Tequila Worm. As we read, we will stop periodically to discuss the text and, if time permits, work on the guiding questions and 'Preparing the Learner Activities" within our 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 2).

Homework  (1.) Read your A.R. book at home for at least 30 minutes and make a Digital Reading Log entry using the 3rd Quarter Reading Log. (2.) Continue working on your 100 Word Challenge: 5 Words (Week 20) story, which we will publish on Friday, February 6. (3.) Continue working on 'The Tequila Worm' Reading Guide (Week 2) and Story Plot Chart ('Tequila Worm').