Week of Dec. 19

Monday
Tales #42
hey gnarly are you going too go? queried harold when he heard the news
Vocab: queried
Tales #43
yes i think i will well how about you harold asked gnarly in a supplicating voice
Vocab: supplicating
We continued with our unit on poetry. Students took notes on the Handout Poets to Know and composed a Snapshot Poem after the model of William Carlos Williams.
Homework:
Snapshot poems are due Wednesday, 12/21.

Week of Dec. 12

Friday
P3 and P5: Students wrote letters to their French pen pals and were to e-mail them to me.
P4: Students blogged a greeting to their Collaborative Project buddies.
Homework:
Send any pen pal letters you haven't forwarded to me.

 

Thursday
Students developed Thinking Maps using information from the handout Learning About Poetry.
Directions:
1. Read Learning About Poetry.
2. Complete tasks 1-8.
3. You will complete two thinking maps using the information on the sheet.

• a. No circle map, no bubble maps
• b. Brace maps or tree maps work best
• c. Use the back of the handout as a rough draft

i. One thinking map is on the first paragraph, titled Types of Poetry.

                            ii. The other thinking map is on the final three paragraphs and should be titled Figurative Language.

• d. Use the two blank sheets for the thinking maps: one thinking map per sheet, not back to back.

4. The thinking maps were due at the end of the period and were turned in.
5. The handout is to be put into your Poetic Devices notebook.
Homework:

 

Homework:
Read and study vocab and stems.




Tuesday
Tales #38
one day a rumor circulated around mrs noisomes classroom and everyone couldnt wait for their class to be over
Vocab: rumor, circulated
Tales #39
when class is finally over the popular students converged in the hallway
Vocab: converged
Students turned in the final Wired! packets and the Paul Revere packet w/ questions from the textbook.
P4 and 5 took the Parts of Speech mid-point quiz. We graded and turned it in.
P3 read The Inn of Lost Time, completed the Before You Read and began work on questions 1-8 on p. 244 after the story.
Homework:
P3 - Finish the story and complete questions 1-4. The link to the story and the questions is here.
P5 (P4?) - Simile and Metaphors w/s



Tuesday
Students turned in the Wired! homework from Friday.
They worked on the Paul Revere's Ride packet and answered questions on p. 542 of the textbook, #1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and the Reading Check in complete sentences.
Homework:
Finished packet and questions.

Week of November 21

Tuesday
Students were challenged to find the answers to a literary devices quiz. They had a word bank and could use the dictionary as well as the literature book. We will continue with the activity tomorrow. The answer sheet will act as a study guide.
Homework:
Study Stems List #2 and Tales vocab - quizzes next week.


Monday
Students challenged their brains by figuring out anagrams related to Thanksgiving.
Homework:
Study Stems List #2 and Tales vocab - quizzes next week.

Week of Nov. 14

Friday
Early release - special schedule.
Students completed and turned in their answers to the Grammar Packet.
Homework:
Read


Thursday
Students worked on the Grammar Packet.
Homework:
Read


Wednesday
Students tooks the Tales Spelling Test and the Stem List #1 quiz.
They used their Parts of Speech handout (orange) to complete the "Parts of Speech Poem" which they turned in.
We chose the top three "Courage" posters. These will be displayed in the library.
Homework:
Read


Tuesday
I read Courage to the class. Their assignment was to write about what courage meant to them and add a visual. We also developed a rubric for judging the top three, which we will vote on tomorrow.
Homework:
Study Stems List #1 and Tales 1-31.


Monday
Tales #32
Students worked on the Parts of Speech packet, using their orange Parts of Speech handout.
Homework:
Study Stems List #1 and Tales 1-31.

Week of Nov. 7

Tuesday
P3 and P5: Students continued working on their Discussion Questions (complete 9 of the 13 questions in complete sentences; due Thursday)
P4: Students continued with the questions on p. 243 and then completed #1, 2, and 4 on p. 244 for "The Inn of Lost Time."
Homework:
P3 and P5 - complete any 9 of the 13 discussion questions by start of class Thursday.
Literary Devices assignment due tomorrow @ start of class.
Please note: If on Thursday you are out ill or on vacation, please leave at the front office or have another student turn it in.


Monday
Handouts (all periods): Stems Lists 1-6
P3 and P5: Discussion Questions (complete 9 of the 13 questions in complete sentences; due Thursday)
P4: Students read the "Before You Read" for "The Inn of Lost Time." They then read the story and completed #1-4 on p. 243.
Homework:
Quiz on Stems List #1 next week.
P3 and P5 - complete any 9 of the 13 discussion questions by start of class Thursday. The novel needs to be finished by Thursday.
Keep reviewing Tales Vocab #1-31.
Please note: If on Thursday you are out ill or on vacation, please leave at the front office or have another student turn in.

Week of Oct. 31

Monday
After completing pre-reading activities, we read The Tell-Tale Heart by Poe. Then we watched the 7-minute movie based on the story.
Students wrote a paragraph comparing the print version with the movie version.I collected the paragraphs.
Homework:
Crossword puzzle based on vocabulary from the short story.


Tales #26
Vocab: noisome
this may be the 1st day of school she said but you have homework tonight my name in case your interested is mrs noisome

Tales #27
Vocab: aside
oh no not mrs noisome groaned gnarly in an aside to harold. i hear she gives tons of homework calls parents and makes students write and writ

Tales #28
Vocab: transcribed
everyone transcribed the assignment into their notebook except conan from who nobody ever expected and homework

Tales #29
Vocab: sallied
when the bell rang harold sallied forth from the classroom with gnarly he had found a best friend

Tales #30
Vocab: dilemmas
and after school harold tells gnarly all about himself and his dilemmas

Tales #31
Vocab: lament
well gnarly my mom and dad are getting divorced and are fighting over me he said with a lament

Week of Oct. 24

Friday
We engaged in critical thinking exercises.
Homework:
Study vocab; read



Thursday
Tales #25
as gnarly concluded his sentence the teacher a short bizarre middle aged lady dressed in tennis shoes and an loathsome purple dress sauntered in the door
Vocab: sauntered, bizarre, loathsome
P3 and P5 read the novel and continued with their Lit. Devices assignment.
P4 worked on characterization,reading comprehension, and vocabulary.
Homework:
Study vocab; read
Wear pink tomorrow!



Wednesday
Students took the Gallup Poll online.
Homework:
Study vocab; read



Tuesday
Tales #24
shes shy and shes nice and shes comely and she gets good grades and all the cool dudes are after her but she ignores them gnarly concludes
Vocab: comely
We did our classroom spelling bee run-off. Congrats to the following students:
P3 - Sarah, Shauri, Bryce (alternate: Jenny)
P4 - Nick, Chris, Savana (alternate: Alexis)
P5 - Dillon, Dalton, Nikko (alternate: Elizabeth)
Homework:
Study vocab; read



Monday
Tales #23
gnarly nerd a strait A student continued to inform harold. and classy cassandra is to good a student to be interested in conan he elucidated
Vocab: elucidated
P3 and P5: Students worked on their literary devices assignment while reading the novel.
P4: students wrote scenarios explaining their vocab words. I collected the w/s (Words to Own, p. 4)
Homework:
Study vocab - know spelling and definition; read

Week of Oct. 17

Thursday and Friday
Special Schedule due to Early Release for Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Thursday we had P2, 3, and 1; Friday we had P4, 5, and 6.
P3 finished their letters in the lab, turned in a hard copy, and e-mailed them to me.
In the other periods, we worked on deductive reasoning skills.
Homework:
Study vocab; read


Wednesday
P4 worked on reading comprehension and "The Treasure of Lemon Brown" packet. They completed an open-book quiz on the story.
P3 and P5 typed up their friendly letters in the lab.
Homework:
Study vocab



Tuesday
Tales #22
a obese pimply faced kid in the next desk leans over to harold dont pay no attention to conan he whispered. hes not as tuff as he looks
Vocab: obese
P4 worked on reading comprehension and "The Treasure of Lemon Brown."
P3 and P5 took the Spelling Test (Tales #1-19)
P3 and P5 read the novel, took notes, and worked on finding literary devices (this is an individual project).
Handout: P3 and P5 - Give Me Liberty Literary Devices Assignment (due when we finish the novel).
Homework:
Revise letters (P3 and P5)



Monday
P3 and P5: Rough drafts of the letters due.
Students completed "The Moustache" language packet and turned it in.
Homework:
Spelling Test on Tales #1-19 tomorrow.

Week of Oct. 10

Thursday
We worked on brain strengthening exercises with deductive reasoning problems.
Homework:
Spelling Test on Tales #1-19 next week.



Thursday
Tales #21
as the effects of her stunning beauty wore off harold heard conan shouting at him she thinks shes too good for us
Vocab: stunning, effects
P3 and P5 worked on the pen pal project.
P4: Students took the Tales spelling test.
We then read "The Girl's Like Spaghetti" about why you can't manage without apostrophes! Students received a handout showing the main points and the rules for using the apostrophe (study this and know the rules). Their next assignment was to create six sentences following the pattern on the first side of the handout.
Homework:
Pen Pal rough drafts due Monday.

Wednesday
Tales #20
harold mesmerized by the sight stared at classy cassandra for a full minute before he sat down; he was smitten.
Vocab: smitten, mesmerized
P4: Students worked on the skills of reading comprehension and summarizing.
P3 and P5: We worked on the pen pal project.
Homework:
Study vocab - test tomorrow


Tuesday
Ms. Ronemous had a sub.
Students read the short story "The Moustache" and responded to questions about it.
Homework:
Finish packet


Monday
No School - Fall Break Day

Week of Oct. 3

Friday
I collected the Choice Board activity (P3 and P5 only) and the Ball Game w/s.
We engaged in critical thinking and deductive reasoning activities to stretch our brains.
Homework:
Read!


Tuesday-Thursday
Tales #16
perambulating to the only vacant desk harold's hands began to shake
Vocab: perambulating
Tales #17
his corpulent knees knocked together in shock and his eyes grew bigger under his glasses
Vocab: corpulent
Tales #18
sitting there at the desk in front of him reading the book war and peace was a apparition of beauty that affected his ability to move
Tales #19
she was beautiful and she was classy and she was wonderful and she had long curly black hair and a ghost of a smilt manifested itself on her lovely lips
Vocab: apparition
We continued to work on characterization and reading comprehension.
Homework:
Study vocab

Monday
Students wrote in their jounals about their weekend.
They then continued with their characterization work, citing evidence in the text (with page numbers).
P4 worked on the introductory activity Making the Connection w/s 26, which I collected.
P4 then read "Broken Chain" by Gary Soto and worked on w/s 4 and 38 (will be collected tomorrow). Some were able to begin work on the questions on page 38.
Homework:
Week 1 Ball Games w/s (correcting errors) - due Friday

Week of Sept. 26

Friday
Students engaged in creative writing activities to stretch and challenge their brains.


Thursday
Tales #15
her and her friends jabbed their noses in the air and didnt even say hello to harold
Vocab: jabbed
Tales #16
perambulating to the only vacant desk harold's hands began to shake
Vocab: perambulating
P3 and P5 read more of the novel, filling in character maps on Nathaniel and Basil (two separate maps) as they went. The maps are due Tuesday.
P4: Students completed the following packets:
w/s 3-17: Reflections on "Mrs. Flowers"
w/s 12: Mrs. Flowers Mini-Test on "Mrs. Flowers"
Dear Mrs. Ables Packet
I collected all three.
P3 and P5: Students read in groups, took notes, and worked on completing two graphic organizers on Nathaniel's and Basil's character traits.
Homework:
Finish w/s 63



Wednesday
I checked the HW (PMI).
Handouts: P3 and P5 received Character Map #2. (We did not do the 3 questions on the back.)
P4: Students completed p. 27 of the Lit. Elements notebook and then moved on to the Grammar Link packet. They also completed a graphic organizer (character map) on Mrs. Flowers, citing evidence from the text. All the work was collected.
P3 and P5: Students read in groups chapters 8-11, took notes, and worked on completing a graphic organizer on Nathaniel's character traits.
Homework:
P3 and P5: Complete a Journal Entry / Literary Response on what you read today in class. Label it Journal Entry #2.



Tuesday
Tales #14
belinda and her cohorts took one look at harolds ugly brown glasses round face and serious expression and the whole crew dismissed him as worse than the kid gnarly nerd
Vocab: cohorts
Handouts: Character Traits; Understanding "Character" Analysis
P3: We did a PMI in class on the novel and read through Ch. 6.
P4: Students completed questions #2, 3, and 5 in their Lit. Elements notebook. I checked their work.
P5: We practiced doing a PMI together in class. Students read in groups and will complete a PMI on their own.
Homework:
All periods:Study the Character Analysis sheet (green)
P3 and P5: Complete a PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) on the part of the novel you read in class.


Monday
Students took a short Parts of Speech / Sentence Structure Pretest, which was turned in (not yet graded)
Posted on the SmartBoard:
Fill out your agenda for the week.
Then, in your writing journal (this period's bin at the back of the room):
- put the date on a fresh page
- write for 5 min. about this past weekend
- when finished, pick up the w/s from the front desk
We then read w/s 65-66, Ethos, Pathos, & Logos, as a class, and in pairs completed the assignment at the top of p. 66 before sharing out. We did not do the bulleted assignment at the bottom of the page. Students are to keep the worksheet in their Literary Elements notebooks and refer to it when writing persuasively (e.g., as in their upcoming Social Studies assignment).
Homework:
w/s 63 (Connecting Paragraphs) - due Friday

Week of Sept. 19

Thursday
Tales #12
there were other clutches of kids in harolds classes but they didnt want to have anything to do with a four eyed wierdo either
Tales #13
their was belinda beautiful a pulchritudinous babe with long blond hair and designer clothes who was queen of the snobs
Vocab: pulchritudinous
I collected the two HW w/s from Tues. and Wed.
P3 and P5 read further in the novel (Give Me Liberty). P3 finished Part II; P5 almost.
P4 were to read "Mrs. Flowers" from the literature textbook and complete questions 2-8 on p. 25. I collected their work.
P5 received their Phoenix Public Library cards.
Homework:
P3 and P5: Journal Entry #2 (response to the selection read today)
All periods: study Tales (know vocab, spelling, grammatical structures)



Wednesday
We spent time in the computer lab signing up for Book Adventure, a free reading motivation program sponsored by Sylvan Learning and Read Across America. The process took the whole period, so we will explore the finer points at a later date.
I did not collect HW, as time was so short.
Homework:
Persuasion w/s 62 (Think Elbows!)


Monday & Tuesday
We began our novel study on Monday - Give Me Liberty, by L. M. Elliott. It ties in to what is being covered in Social Studies (the American Revolution).
On Tuesday I checked their Journal Entry and then we continued reading.
Homework:
HW for Monday: Journal Entry/Response to what we had read so far.
HW for Tuesday: Persuasion w/s 13-14
Have your library cards with you tomorrow, if you got one already on your own.

Week of Sept. 12

Friday
Tales #11
all he could see was conans cool audacious exterior and he wanted to be like him
Vocab: audacious
In their journaling notebooks (kept in the classroom), students copied the following and responded:
1. Write a paragraph about a girl named Dot, but use no letters with dots (i, j).
2. In one paragraph, describe a scene from any sport. Use these words somewhere in the paragraph (and highlight them the first time they are used):
bounced, struggled, spied, roared, collapsed, giggled
In addition to the others, P5 responded to the following:
Create a sentence with words that begin with the letters in SENTENCE,in order. In other words, the first words in the sentence should begin with s, the second with e, the third with n, etc.
Homework:
Read


Thursday
Tales #9
poor chainless harold pondered wow th ose dudes are awesome
Vocab: pondered
Tales #10
harold didnt no about conans and his freinds appalling grades
Vocab: appalling
We worked more with declarations and building thesis statements.
Handout: Practice Developing a Thesis Statement
Prompts: 1. Who should pay when a guy and girl go on a date?
2. Are small schools better than large schools?
3. Are schools for only one gender a good idea?
Prompts were answered on the back of the worksheet and the paper was collected.
Homework:
Study vocab, definitions, and spelling



Wednesday
Tales #8
conan the flunking macho dude led alot of the hip dudes at school and him and his sycophants all wore alot of fake gold chains
Vocab: sycophants
We read and discussed an article on how best to set up the introductory paragraph
Students practiced making declarations.
Homework:

Finish Declarations w/s if necessary.
Study vocab, definitions, and spelling




Tuesday
Tales #7
Vocab: virility (= manliness)
Students continued practicing the structure of a persuasive paper, with introduction, three or four body paragraphs, and a conclusion. We organized the paper using a Flee Map (combination of Flow Map and Tree Map).
Homework:
Study vocab, definitions, and spelling



Monday
P3 finished the persuasive outline from last week and turned it in. We worked through part of w/s 27/28; the rest is for homework.
P4 worked on w/s 27/28 and turned it in (Because I Said So)
P5 didn't get w/s 27/28; some groups are still working on their outline and conclusion paragraphs.
Homework:
w/s 28, including the Follow Up.
Study persuasive techniques terms and definitions

Week of Sept. 5

Friday
We discussed planning and organizing the persuasive essay using a flee map, and then practiced with a prompt.
I collected the students' work.
Homework:
Respond to survey (on my website) by Monday if you haven't already.
Study vocab!



Wednesday & Thursday
I collected the homework (pink sheets on Persuasive Techniques) Wed.
Handout: Persuasive Techniques terms and definitions and examples on the reverse.
We continued discussing and taking notes on persuasive techniques in our literary elements notebook.
In small groups, we practiced using persuasive appeals and turned the work in.
Homework:
Study persuasive techniques from your notes and the pink handouts. If you were absent, get the notes from a friend.



Tuesday
This week we are studying Persuasive Techniques in anticipation of students having to write a persuasive essay in their Social Studies classes. Students completed a worksheet and then began taking notes as we discussed a PowerPoint on persuasion.
Homework:
Persuasive Writing w/s (pink)


Monday
No School - Labor Day

Week of Aug. 29

Friday
We took our first spelling test.
Creative Writing Assignment was completed in the writing journals that stay in the classroom.
Homework:
None


Wednesday
Tales #5
Vocab: cringed
Students expanded on their pre-writing and began their first draft.
Homework:
Study vocab


Tuesday
Tales #4
Vocab: pachyderm (know spelling and definition; look up in several dictionaries)
Using evidence (quotations) from the short story "Raymond's Run," students described Squeaky at the start and at the end of the story.
Homework:
Complete survey on my website



Monday
Tales #3
Vocab: inept (know spelling and definition; look up in several dictionaries)
We finished "Raymond's Run" and completed a w/s dealing with Comprehension, Literary Elements, and Grammar. (I collected it.)
Handouts: P5 - Reading Log and 40 Book Challenge Sheet
P3: Reading Log
P4 will get theirs tomorrow
P3 will get the 40 Book Challenge Sheet tomorrow
Homework:
Complete survey on my website
Write down whether you agree or disagree with each of the following statements and then explain (in two or three sentences) why you have this opinion.
1. Braggarts are really just insecure.
2. Absolutely everyone has something they can be proud of.
3. Even though most won't admit it, winning is the most important thing.

Week of Aug. 22

Friday
Early release - special schedule
Tales #2
Vocab: hapless (know spelling and definition; look up in several dictionaries)
We read part of the short story "Raymond's Run" in class - will continue on Monday.
Homework:
Log in and play FreeRice to practice your vocabulary when you have a chance!


Thursday
In the lab, students joined the FreeRice class group for their particular period, then practiced vocabulary.
Homework:
Study vocab


Wednesday
Tales #1
Vocab: volition (learn spelling and definition)
I checked the homework.
We worked on components of a plot diagram and students took notes in their lit. elements notebook. Study plot diagram for future tests/quizzes.
Homework:
Study vocab


Tuesday
I collected the Learner Survey Reflection.
We took the DVRA (Deer Valley Reading Assessment) online.
They then had time to work on their homework.
Homework:
Pirate PRIDE w/s



Monday
I collected the "I am" poem and any remaining library card applications.
Students took the last pre-test (yay!).
They then had time to work on their homework.
Homework:
Learner Survey Reflection
On a lined sheet of paper and using the Learner Survey we did last week, answer the following questions in complete sentences. Incorporate the question into the answer.
1. What did you learn from the survey?
2. What two to three things (from the Strategies section) can you do to make sure you'll have a successful academic year (use what you learned from the Descriptions and Strategies info).
3. Did you discover anything new about yourself? Elaborate.
Important: Know your e-mail address and password tomorrow!

Week of August 15

Friday
I collected Library Card applications.
P3 and 5 finished working on their "Big Heads" and turned them in.
All periods: We read two examples of "I am" poems and completed one as a class.
Students had time to work on their own poem.
Homework:
"I am" poem due Monday.
Bring your Library Card applications Monday if you didn't turn them in already.


Thursday
I collected the ABC sheet.
Students received an application for a card from the Phoenix Public Library, which is required for Language Arts class this year.
Students finished the Writing pre-test and turned it in.
They then began work on their "Big Heads."
Homework:
Library Card applications due tomorrow. Big Heads also due, although we will have a little time in class to finish them up.


Wednesday
Students took Reading and Writing pre-tests so I can gauge their language skills.
Homework:
ABC Sheet - it's all about you. Adjectives, adverbs, phrases


Tuesday
Students returned paperwork each period.
In each period (2, 3, 4, and 5) we read sections of the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook (available online here).
Students took one of several pre-tests so I can gauge their language skills.
We also did a Learning Styles inventory which showed students what type (or combination of types) of learner they are. It also gave them strategies they can use depending on the type of learner they are. Utilizing these strategies will help students be successful this year. We will continue with this tomorrow.
Homework:
Get paperwork signed if you haven't already.
I went to the library today and picked up the library card registration forms, which I'll distribute tomorrow.


Monday
First Day of School!
Welcome!
We covered the Language Arts syllabus, expectations, supplies needed.
Homework:
Get paperwork signed. (P4 and 5 received the yellow Pet Permission / Student Information Form and the purple Lang. Arts Syllabus acknowledgement form).
List your top five books and give reasons for your choices.