Ok, now that I've got your attention... Yes, the end is near, the end of the quarter that is. I do apologize for not having posted in a while, but as the quarter ends so does my available time! Here are a few things to keep in mind.
This week Friday, Nov. 2nd is the final due date for all page logs. In class on that day we will tally up our totals and I will record them to determine their grade for the independent reading requirement. Remember, the grade from the page logs will be combined with the score on their blog posting so you will only see one grade listed in that category on the parent portal.
Speaking of blog posts, if you'd like to view your child's blog posting, click on the link below that corresponds to your child's literature class hour. From the drop down menu, select Parent Account and use the password redbirds.
1st Hour Independent Reading Blog
4th Hour Independent Reading Blog
7th Hour Independent Reading Blog
8th Hour Independent Reading Blog
9th Hour Independent Reading Blog
In class this week on Thursday and Friday, students will be setting their reading goals. The goals have multiple parts - the first part of the goal is about how many points students think they can raise their SRI scores. The second part of the goal is focused on how many books a student can complete by the end of the first semester. The final part of the goal is focused on a reading behavior that the student feels he/she could improve upon. All goals are created taking a look at various types of data - graphs of prior SRI scores, research about how many books 8th graders should be able to complete in a school year, and a self-evaluation of student reading behaviors. In addition, students have to create a two step action plan that they will complete over the course of the semester in order to achieve their goal. I plan to conference with each student to ensure that their goals are reasonable yet challenging. You will also receive a copy of the goal sent home along with your child's report card.
This week is the final week to complete any outstanding work. As of the end of the day Wednesday all work that was turned in after the due date will have been scored and entered. The only assignments that will not be updated for all classes will be the Miracle's Boys final test (which are in the process of being graded) and the independent reading requirement which is not due until this week Friday.
If you have any questions send me an email or give me a call.
Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Dates to Remember...
As we draw nearer to the end of the first quarter, I thought I'd create a short posting which lists some of the upcoming due dates for work in your child's R/W literature class. I would encourage you to ask your kids where they are at in terms of this list of work.
Friday, Oct. 19th - Miracle's Boys needs to be finished. We will be reading an article that day taking a look at if the food stamp program creates dependency - which we will then relate to the characters from Miracle's Boys.
Wednesday, Oct. 24th - Final test on Miracle's Boys. Students will receive the details of the test on Monday, Oct. 29th.
Monday, Oct. 29th - Kidblog book review posting is due - submitted for approval electronically - by 10:00 PM on Monday night. Students will have had three full days of class this first quarter to work and get help on their posting.
Friday, Nov. 2nd - All page logs will be totaled, collected, and recorded for the first quarter grading period.
As I had mentioned in an earlier posting, we have had very few grades put into the grade book from the first two-thirds of quarter one. At this point more grades are starting to come in; so, depending on the quality of your child's work, you may see his/her grade changing on a frequent basis. Grades will become final on Wednesday, November 7th.
If you have any additional questions or need clarification on anything in this post, please send me an email or give me phone call.
Friday, Oct. 19th - Miracle's Boys needs to be finished. We will be reading an article that day taking a look at if the food stamp program creates dependency - which we will then relate to the characters from Miracle's Boys.
Wednesday, Oct. 24th - Final test on Miracle's Boys. Students will receive the details of the test on Monday, Oct. 29th.
Monday, Oct. 29th - Kidblog book review posting is due - submitted for approval electronically - by 10:00 PM on Monday night. Students will have had three full days of class this first quarter to work and get help on their posting.
Friday, Nov. 2nd - All page logs will be totaled, collected, and recorded for the first quarter grading period.
As I had mentioned in an earlier posting, we have had very few grades put into the grade book from the first two-thirds of quarter one. At this point more grades are starting to come in; so, depending on the quality of your child's work, you may see his/her grade changing on a frequent basis. Grades will become final on Wednesday, November 7th.
If you have any additional questions or need clarification on anything in this post, please send me an email or give me phone call.
Monday, October 8, 2012
I swear to howdy...
I swear to howdy...Ask your kids about that phrase and they will begin telling you about the read-aloud that we just finished. Swear to Howdy is a book about two boys growing up in the South. It chronicles their adventures in friendship over the course of a summer and one school year. The mood of the book is upbeat and quite funny for the first three-quarters, but then takes a dark turn when a seemingly innocent prank pulled by the boys results in unforeseen consequences. Some of the big ideas that the book revolves around include friendship and trust. Our next read aloud will be Hanging on to Max.
In the Miracle's Boys unit, we just had our first quiz - as a reading check. Most of the questions revolved around the plot and the characters to insure that we are all on the same page (pun intended). From there we are going to continue reading - getting to the climax of the story this week.
This past week we also had some direct instruction focusing on the three big types of text structures that students will encounter (compare/contrast, argumentative, and cause/effect). We discussed how to dissect a question and what key words to look for so that students would use the proper organizational pattern when planning an answer. A secondary activity involved students working with partners. In this activity, partners received one of three questions and had to first determine which type of text structure was contained in the question, and then they had to work together and actually plan an essay. Along the way I met with each set of partners to make sure they were on the right track. I was very pleased after meeting with the groups as a vast majority of them had the correct text structure and were able to explain their choices to me.
Finally, today (Monday, Oct. 8th) I checked page logs to see where students were at with logging their pages. Ideally all students should be at or near 450 pages this quarter. Many students were under that page total. Please encourage your child to keep reading around 20 minutes each night and remind them to log the pages they have read!
Have a great day!
In the Miracle's Boys unit, we just had our first quiz - as a reading check. Most of the questions revolved around the plot and the characters to insure that we are all on the same page (pun intended). From there we are going to continue reading - getting to the climax of the story this week.
This past week we also had some direct instruction focusing on the three big types of text structures that students will encounter (compare/contrast, argumentative, and cause/effect). We discussed how to dissect a question and what key words to look for so that students would use the proper organizational pattern when planning an answer. A secondary activity involved students working with partners. In this activity, partners received one of three questions and had to first determine which type of text structure was contained in the question, and then they had to work together and actually plan an essay. Along the way I met with each set of partners to make sure they were on the right track. I was very pleased after meeting with the groups as a vast majority of them had the correct text structure and were able to explain their choices to me.
Finally, today (Monday, Oct. 8th) I checked page logs to see where students were at with logging their pages. Ideally all students should be at or near 450 pages this quarter. Many students were under that page total. Please encourage your child to keep reading around 20 minutes each night and remind them to log the pages they have read!
Have a great day!
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