Literacy Skills for November 3-7, 2008

Literacy Skills for November 3-7, 2008

Skill Groups due dates:
1. Comprehension work for Cracker Jackson novel was due Oct. 31. An AR test must be completed for this novel .
2. HOOT vocabulary work due: Chapters 1-5 vocab. work was due Oct. 23.
Chapters 6-9 and Chapters 10-14 vocab. work due by Nov. 12.
Quiz on vocabulary , as it is completed... Nov. 14-21.
At the halfway point of the novel, a projects list will be distributed. Students will be assigned a specific number of projects based on differentiation of skills.
All projects are due no later than Nov. 25.
3.HOOT AR test by Nov. 25.

4.  The prompt to this week's extended response is :  " Analyze a main character in the story you are reading.  How does the character look, act, and think?  How do others react to the character?  How does the character interact with people?  Would you want this character for a friend? Why or why not?  One Extended Response is due Wednesday, Nov. 12... NOTE the change in the due date .... Many students are in the school play. We do not have school on Tuesday, Nov. 11.  

Homework: One extended response is due Monday, November 3.
The extended response prompt is ..."Identify the problems of the main characters. Refer to the rubric you were given to respond to this prompt. See rubric listed in previous Lit. Skills blog.

Biography Report: The biography report was assigned in September. It is due November 14. The student is responsible for finding the information on the individual . Reading a biography novel was the original intention of this assignment. In some cases, a student will use several sources to respond to the questions on the biography report sheet. Include the sources in an attached works consulted sheet .

Language Arts for Nov. 3-7, 2008

Language Arts for Nov. 3-7, 2008

New Vocabulary List --Write the word, definition , part of speech, and syllabication. Use the words in a short paragraph, story, or sentences that use more than one new vocabulary word in the correct context. This work will be due Wednesday, Nov. 12! The post test is Nov. 13 ( for students who submit the work on the due date .)
Word List: guradian, economize, nourishment, thermometer, multi-millionaire, superintendent, ultraviolet, ultrasonic,ultrasound, transcontinental, gradual, forewarned. ( 12 words.) ( Students are to find at least 2 additional words per suffix or prefix and write them.)
Many students complete the work before the due date. I am going to try a new approach so that students who are ready to take the post test before Nov. 12 may do so. The work must be completed , submitted, and recorded . The test will be multiple choice, sentence completion, and application of knowledge of the definitions.

Grammar: In-class lessons: What is a Noun? Singular and Plural nouns. Students will have time in class to complete the Practice and Apply written work. Teacher will assess skill groups and/or who needs extra work . Many students need to review the work from grammar test #2. Scores on that test will be posted shortly. Scores below 75% were assigned additional work and the opportunity for a Retake test on November 14. Tests should be signed by the parent indicating awareness that the student will complete the retake.
Homework will be announced: This site will list assignments. We will cover the practice in class this week.
(Students representing GBMS in the 6th grade play are to be applauded. Thank you for representing our team!)

Writing Process- All students will be provided a template and instruction about writing short stories. A rubric will be provided. Scaffolding assistance will range from templates , story samples, and graphic organizers. Writing for this project will begin in class.
Students are listening to short stories read by the teacher. Story elements are being sited. Graphic organizers are "tiered." The student will use a graphic organizer at his/her writing level.
We will cover characterization, setting, plot, main events, and resolution.
Students will be told when they may take the project home for completion or final typing. The final typed draft will be due November 21. ( The trimester ends on Nov. 25. You will receive a report card with grade point average, one week later.)

Up and Coming:
The Writing Talent Search is an in-district competition for prose and poetry. Grades 6,7,8 are encouraged to submit final drafts in early January. Students are encourage to submit a good writing of prose or poetry in December, revise as needed, and submit the final copy to the competition.

Language Arts for October 27-October 31, 2008

Language Arts for October 27-October 31, 2008

Monday--Oct. 27.
Study vocabulary list with prefix "uni-" Study the definitions and correct spelling.
The post test is Tuesday, Oct. 28. ( unicycle, unicellular, unique, unitard, unidirectional, unilateral, unify, unit, unison, unicorn.)
Tuesday--Oct. 28--POST TEST ON VOCABULARY IN CLASS.
Study for Grammar Test #2. Fragments, Run-ons, complete sentences, predicate nouns, predicate adjectives, direct and indirect objects will be featured on the test. Use your " Save and Study" sheets or sign out a text book. See Teacher for book sign out sheet.
Wednesday, Oct. 29--GRAMMAR TEST #2 IS TODAY IN CLASS.
Thursday, Oct. 30-- Save and study sheet for What is a Noun?
Grammar instruction will continue on singular and plural nouns, identifying common and proper nouns, and lead up to singular and plural possessive nouns. Stay tuned.
Friday--Oct. 31-Be careful.

Literacy Skills -6-1 for October 27-October 31, 2008

Literacy Skills -6-1 for October 27-October 31, 2008

Monday-Oct. 27--Submit one extended response which confirms nightly reading . The extended response to the assigned question is due today.
ONE EXTENDED RESPONSE IS DUE Tuesday, November 4. Please note the due date is Tuesday.
The extended response question is: What is the main problem of the main characters in the section of the story you read? Use the 4 point rubric for this response. Include examples, your opinion, and how you relate to the problem/solution process. Balance the author's statements and your statements. Balance what the author stated and what the author meant.

Tuesday, Oct. 28-- Read your novel 30 minutes per night.
Differentiation:
Group X is finishing the work for the novel Cracker Jackson. Submit the written work neatly and create a book cover.
Group Y is working on the vocabulary for HOOT and reading chapters 6-9 this week.
Group Z is completing the vocabulary and comprehension work for HOOT from chapters 1-14. The Differentiation Project List has been distributed. The teacher will assign 2-5 projects to students . Due dates for all HOOT projects are Nov. 21. A project must meet criteria for excellence.
Wednesday, Oct. 29-- Complete AR tests for Cracker Jackson, Summer of the Swans, HOOT ( when finished) , and other AR books with the blue dot on the spine.
Thursday, Oct. 30-- Complete the vocabulary work for HOOT , per chapters 6-9 or 10-14 depending on your skill group. The work is due Monday, Nov. 3.
Friday, Oct. 31.-- Be careful.

Literacy Skills for October 20-24,2008

Literacy Skills for October 20-24, 2008

Monday, October 20--Students will be introduced to " extended responses." One extended response will be due Monday, October 27. The response will reflect reading 30 minutes a night for a minimum of 5 nights.

The prompt for response is:  How is the title of this story appropriate for the characters, setting, and plot in the section you read ?  
Rubric for Extended -Response Grades 5 and 6:
--I explain the important information the author stated and the author meant.
--I connect the important ideas to my own ideas or experiences.
--I include examples and important details to support my explanation.
--I use the author's ideas and my own explanation in a balanced way.

A thorough extended response, typed,  is about one and one half pages in length. The student should aim to write at least a paragraph per reading session which responds to the points in the rubric. By week's end the response is written. Parents sign on the paper to indicate the child is reading 30 minutes nightly for at least 5 nights per week.

I distributed a copy of the reading rubric for parent to keep at home.  The second sheet is for the student to use for writing the extended response during the week.  

We are covering the novel--HOOT by Carl Hiaasen.
Activities: We are finding school appropriate web sites which relate to topics in the book: alligators, burrowing owls, bullying, Florida conservation laws.
Read Chapters 1 -5 by Monday, October 27. Write responses to comprehension questions in class. Keep the work in your Lit. Skills spiral notebook.
Vocabulary definitions are due Wednesday, October 23. ( Second column for chapters 1-5 )

Students who are reading Cracker Jackson: Complete the written work and book cover by October 31. This book may be used for your extended reading response. Upon completion of Cracker Jackson, take the AR test .

Differentiation: Skill groups will be assigned this work by the teacher upon completion of work for chapters 1-5.
Read Chapters 6-9.
Write definitions for the vocabulary for chapters 6-9.
Write responses to the comprehension questions.
Write a prediction. What do you think will happen next? Why?
Ask Teacher for differentiation project list.
Due date to be announced in class.

Everyone must submit one web address or source relating to at least one topic that is covered in the novel, HOOT.

Up and Coming: Do you know the characteristics of a fable, legend, folk tale, fairy tale, short story, and essay?
Look in the library for one of each kind of literature before the third week of December!

Language Arts for October 20-24, 2008

Language Arts for October 20-24, 2008

Monday, October 20-- Vocabulary Work--Write the spelling word from the pre test given October 17. Using a dictionary, show the syllabication of each word. Write a sixth grade sentence for each word . The sentence should indicate your understanding of the definition of the word. The work is due Monday, October 27, but start it today! The post test is
Tues., Oct. 28. ( unicellular, unicorn, unicycle, unidirectional, unify , unique, unison, unit, unitard,unilateral). :<)

HOMEWORK FOR OCTOBER 20:  SHEET #25 OBJECTS OF VERBS , DUE OCT. 21. 
Writing Process--Type the first typed or final typed draft of narrative composition #2. The final drafts are due no later than Friday, October 24.
Grammar Work--The Wednesday, October 29 grammar test will cover: fragments, run-ons, complete sentences, predicate nouns, predicate adjectives, direct objects, and indirect objects. Start studying now. Homework: Objects of Verbs worksheet.
Study guides will be provided.

Tuesday, October 21--Vocabulary, writing process, and grammar work should be in progress. See 10/20 post.

Wednesday, October 22--By this time, you should have your spelling work completed . The post test will cover the definitions and the correct spelling .

Thursday, October 23--Dismissal at 12 noon. On this day, students will attend class periods 1,2,3,and 5.

Friday, October 24--Dismissal at 12 noon. On this day, students will attend class periods 6,7,8,9.
Homwork? >>> Spelling work... Study for spelling post test. .... Study for grammar test.

Literacy Skills for October 14-17, 2008

Literacy Skills for October 14-17, 2008

Due: Tuesday, October 14--Three reading responses are due in Lit. Skills class today.
I am giving students time to complete the Cracker Jackson comprehension work, due October 20-24. Students are to find at least one web address for a topic related to the novel, HOOT. Write the address and bring to class. Students have been assigned vocabulary work for HOOT. Definitions are due October 17 and October 23.
List: Chapters 1-5: ambush, vandalism, monetary, humidity, skeptical, dogged(ly), sarcasm, menace, consternation ( Definitions are due October 17.) snide, baleful (ly), provoke, sinewy, gore(d), disgruntled, dispatcher, forthright(ly), civilized. Definitions due October 23.
Other vocabulary . Assignments will be announced.--Chapters 6-9: assertive, surveillance, perpetrators, jeopardy, altercation, ominously, sodden, menacing(ly), caustic(ly), homicide, fervent(ly), informant, noncommittal, queasy, incentive, scabrous, nonchalant(ly), travesty. Chapter 10-14--truss, beaker, recurring, ballistic, exasperated, cowling, fugitive, subterranean, commode, terse, interrogating, turbulence, rebuke, emblem, reconnaisance, salvage, dilapidated, derelict. Chapters 15-17--amateur, vile, malevolent, patronizing, fiasco, cheesy, morph, castanets, sullen, bogus, harrowing, rap sheet, hoodlum, rankle, bungle, heist, vault, agitate. Chapters 18-epilogue: involuntary, frenzied, extravaganza, jurisdiction, lustrous, improbable, crackerjack, charitable, dignitaries, slanderous, withering, mutilate, flamboyant, toupee, melodramatic.
Students should be selecting their biography novel as well. This week, I am not assigning 3 reading responses to all students. Those students who are still reading Cracker Jackson ( differentiation) will submit 3 reading responses on Monday, October 20. Other students will complete the written work for Cracker Jackson by October 24.
In November we will cover extended responses and the homework will aim for very thorough written responses . A rubric will be provided and explained.

Nightly reading for 30 minutes
Complete AR tests in the library before school, during activity, or during Lit. Skills class.
A biography report is due November 14. The critical thinking report sheets are available in the classroom. ( The student has self selection in November. The second trimester biography is for Black History Month. The third trimester biography is for Women in History Month.)

Several students completed the second Betsy Byars novel, Cracker Jackson. The written work will be completed in class and at home. Students are expected to submit neat and accurate work, typed preferred.

HOOT- by Carl Hiassen.
Students will have vocabulary , comprehension, and research work for this novel. During this week we will have several activities and discussions in preparation for reading the book.
We will research burrowing owls and many other topics related to the novel on Friday, October 17 in the Mac Lab.
More information to follow.

Language Arts for October 14-17, 2008

Language Arts for October 14-17,2008

Tuesday, October 14, 2008
In class-- Students worked on narrative compositions. We covered fragments, run-ons, and complete sentences. This topic will be assessed in written work and on the upcoming grammar test scheduled for Wednesday, October 29.
Homework: Complete the first written draft of Narrative Composition #2 by Friday, October 17. If you were asked to type a first typed draft, complete that before October 20 so we can determine whether you need to revise or add detail.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Grammar topic: Complements of Verbs: Predicate adjectives, predicate nouns, direct and indirect objects. See Language Textbook, chapter 2. Students may sign out a text for overnight study. More information to follow.
Work on narrative composition #2

Thursday, October 16, 2008
Proofread your narrative composition. Submit the first draft for a conference, revision, and approval for first typed or final draft. The written draft is due Friday, October 17. The final typed draft is due Thursday, October 23 and Friday, October 24.
Grammar topic: In class--Review/self quiz Predicate Nouns and Predicate Adjectives. Be able to identify the simple subject and simple predicate in a sentence. Find the Predicate noun or predicate adjective in sentences. Study linking verbs, action verbs, and helping verbs+ main verbs.

Friday, October 17, 2008
The second narrative composition is due today. It will be checked in class and returned to the student . The final typed draft is due October 23 and 24.

We will take the Spelling/Vocabulary pre test today for work due Monday, October 27 ( not 20!!). The spelling post test is Tuesday, October 28. The student will learn the spelling , definition, part of speech and syllabication for the list of words . The student will write a sentence for each new vocabulary word which indicates understanding of the definition. Final typed work is preferred. Students are encouraged to use the vocabulary correctly in class discussions and written work.

Word list: ( printed small on Thurs. ) --unicellular, unicorn, unicycle, unidirectional, unify, unilateral, unison, unit, unitard, unique.

We are covering the prefix " uni-", meaning "one."

Every Language Arts student has a portfolio with Illinois Learning Standards. Samples of student work will be saved through the trimester.

Lunch Study- Defined

Lunch Study is assigned to a student when homework is not submitted on the due date in core subjects.  The core teachers will write a lunch study pass for the student who will go to the core teacher's classroom during the activity portion of lunch period and work quietly.  At the half-way point of lunch period, the student is given a pass to the Commons to eat lunch.  After one lunch study, most students are not bound to return.  It is a matter of time management for completing assignments and turning them in.  Please check that students are using a labelled accordion folder for holding homework and handouts.  The Pass/Log book should be filled in daily.