Whew! It's Friday and we have survived our first week back! We spent most of this week working through some pre-reading activities for To Kill A Mockingbird, which we will begin reading next week. The students have been very engaged through this process and are beginning to have a better understanding of the social and political setting of the South in the 1930's.
Due to our shortened class time today we were not able to create our Outside/Inside projects, so we will start with this first thing Monday. Students were asked to bring approximately 20 photographs that described themselves in ways that people were aware of/familiar with and in ways that may surprise people/are more 'hidden'.
We will use this activity to discuss the ways in which people grow and change and how stereotypes are formed.
The last blog post mentioned that the research quest project would be assigned today (Friday 1/8). We didn't quite get to it, due to the 35 minute class period, so we will look at that project assignment next week.
Next week is SAT week #6 and students are responsible for the following words:
contend
endorse
implement
obstinate
alleviate
contentious
enhance
impudence
ominous
aloof
contract (v)
enigma
As always, vocabulary work is due on Monday, we will review in class on Wednesday and our test will be on Thursday. Your child has a list of all weekly vocabulary words through week 10. These lists will also be posted on Homework Hero and here on the blog.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll see the kiddos back on Monday!
ENM
Friday, January 8, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Week of January 4-8
We have so much going on this week! We have certainly hit the ground running!
Monday: SAT Week 5 Work due, Pearl Presentations
Tuesday: Continuation of Pearl Presentations
Wednesday: SAT review game, TKM pre-test for background knowledge and discussions of prejudice, assignment of Inside-Outside mini project
Thursday: SAT Test 5, discussion of TKM pre-test, TKM sentence starters (these are ALWYAS interesting!)
Friday: Opinionaire completion, Inside-Outside mini project assembly, Research Quest assignment given
I was glad to see the students return on Monday and I hope everyone is 'getting back into the swing of school' both here and at home. As we enter the next unit of challenges and conflicts and we begin reading and discussing To Kill a Mockingbird, I encourage families to discuss the reading and the topics of equality, justice, freedom and prejudice at home. I have found in the past that this book is one of the books that people actually remember from their days in English class! Share with your children what you remember from reading this book- it is a classic!
Also, as we head toward the end of the 9 weeks, encourage your children to use their agendas and keep their binders as organized as possible. We're starting to notice more and more things being forgotten, left behind at home, and lost. A few minutes spent organizing their binder and updating their agenda can save LOTS of time and worry later :)
As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Monday: SAT Week 5 Work due, Pearl Presentations
Tuesday: Continuation of Pearl Presentations
Wednesday: SAT review game, TKM pre-test for background knowledge and discussions of prejudice, assignment of Inside-Outside mini project
Thursday: SAT Test 5, discussion of TKM pre-test, TKM sentence starters (these are ALWYAS interesting!)
Friday: Opinionaire completion, Inside-Outside mini project assembly, Research Quest assignment given
I was glad to see the students return on Monday and I hope everyone is 'getting back into the swing of school' both here and at home. As we enter the next unit of challenges and conflicts and we begin reading and discussing To Kill a Mockingbird, I encourage families to discuss the reading and the topics of equality, justice, freedom and prejudice at home. I have found in the past that this book is one of the books that people actually remember from their days in English class! Share with your children what you remember from reading this book- it is a classic!
Also, as we head toward the end of the 9 weeks, encourage your children to use their agendas and keep their binders as organized as possible. We're starting to notice more and more things being forgotten, left behind at home, and lost. A few minutes spent organizing their binder and updating their agenda can save LOTS of time and worry later :)
As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Happy Holidays!
I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of winter break and the last bits of snow that are still on the ground! Here are a few important things to keep in mind over the break:
*January book talks begin the day we return from break. Take a look at the schedule below to make sure you don't miss your book talk date.
1/4- Coleman
1/5- Javon, Landon, James
1/6- Cari
1/7- Leesnitzer
1/8- Nolan
1/11- Claire
1/12- Danielle, Josie, Mary
1/13- Bailey, Jackson, Brandon, Sam S. Sarah F.
1/14- Samantha, Jessica, Aria, Frances
1/15- John, Audrey, Quincy, Tory
1/20- Kristen, Sarah S., Gabby, Devana, Alida
1/21- Demetrios, Sam M., Meghan, Sierra, Taylor
1/22- Natalie, Lewis, Mary, Anna, Chloe
1/27- Greg, Connor, Ben, Isaac
1/28- Danlee, Tyrus, Zach
1/29- Patrick, Mateo, Clai, Maggie
*SAT Words Week 5 are due on 1/4 (MONDAY!)The words for this week are:
impair
obliterate
aesthetic
consensus
embellish
impede
oblivion
constraint
emulate
implausible
obscure (v)
affirmation
*We will be sharing our Pearl projects on Monday and Tuesday
*School-wide spelling bee on January 14th. Good luck Natalie and Isaac!
*January book talks begin the day we return from break. Take a look at the schedule below to make sure you don't miss your book talk date.
1/4- Coleman
1/5- Javon, Landon, James
1/6- Cari
1/7- Leesnitzer
1/8- Nolan
1/11- Claire
1/12- Danielle, Josie, Mary
1/13- Bailey, Jackson, Brandon, Sam S. Sarah F.
1/14- Samantha, Jessica, Aria, Frances
1/15- John, Audrey, Quincy, Tory
1/20- Kristen, Sarah S., Gabby, Devana, Alida
1/21- Demetrios, Sam M., Meghan, Sierra, Taylor
1/22- Natalie, Lewis, Mary, Anna, Chloe
1/27- Greg, Connor, Ben, Isaac
1/28- Danlee, Tyrus, Zach
1/29- Patrick, Mateo, Clai, Maggie
*SAT Words Week 5 are due on 1/4 (MONDAY!)The words for this week are:
impair
obliterate
aesthetic
consensus
embellish
impede
oblivion
constraint
emulate
implausible
obscure (v)
affirmation
*We will be sharing our Pearl projects on Monday and Tuesday
*School-wide spelling bee on January 14th. Good luck Natalie and Isaac!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to Natalie and Isaac, our classroom spelling bee winners!!!!! They will compete in the school-wide bee in January and I am sure they will represent our classes well!
The geography bee will be held after school tomorrow (Thursday, December 10th) for any students who are interested.
We are still reading "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, but plan to be finished reading it by the end of class on Friday, December 11th. All discussion questions are due this day as well. On the 11th, students will be given the project assignment for "The Pearl". This project will be due on the 18th. We will spend at least 1/2 of our class periods Monday - Thursday of next week working on this project. Additional time may be spent at home to complete the assignment if necessary.
We have one more editorial due before the break, it is due on Monday, December 14th. Don't forget :)
Next week we will be working on our Week 4 SAT words. The note card sheet is due on Monday the 14th and the test will be Thursday the 17th. The words for week 4 are:
condone
elated
illusory
nurture
adversary
conflagration
eloquence
immutable
objective (A)
advocate
confound
elusive
We will return from our Holiday break on the 4th of January and Week 5 words are due on this day. The week 5 words are:
impair
obliterate
aesthetic
consensus
embellish
impede
oblivion
constraint
emulate
implausible
obscure (v)
affirmation
The note card sheet for week 5 is due on Monday, January 4th and the test will be on Thursday, January 7th.
When we return from our break we will begin discussing the 1930's in preparation for our next class novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird". This is such an amazing story, and I cannot wait to share it with your children!
Don't forget to check with your child about their interim reports that were sent home today. The ELA interim is due back signed tomorrow (Thursday the 10th) along with the extra credit assignment.
I hope everyone has a great Wednesday!
Mrs. Myers
The geography bee will be held after school tomorrow (Thursday, December 10th) for any students who are interested.
We are still reading "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, but plan to be finished reading it by the end of class on Friday, December 11th. All discussion questions are due this day as well. On the 11th, students will be given the project assignment for "The Pearl". This project will be due on the 18th. We will spend at least 1/2 of our class periods Monday - Thursday of next week working on this project. Additional time may be spent at home to complete the assignment if necessary.
We have one more editorial due before the break, it is due on Monday, December 14th. Don't forget :)
Next week we will be working on our Week 4 SAT words. The note card sheet is due on Monday the 14th and the test will be Thursday the 17th. The words for week 4 are:
condone
elated
illusory
nurture
adversary
conflagration
eloquence
immutable
objective (A)
advocate
confound
elusive
We will return from our Holiday break on the 4th of January and Week 5 words are due on this day. The week 5 words are:
impair
obliterate
aesthetic
consensus
embellish
impede
oblivion
constraint
emulate
implausible
obscure (v)
affirmation
The note card sheet for week 5 is due on Monday, January 4th and the test will be on Thursday, January 7th.
When we return from our break we will begin discussing the 1930's in preparation for our next class novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird". This is such an amazing story, and I cannot wait to share it with your children!
Don't forget to check with your child about their interim reports that were sent home today. The ELA interim is due back signed tomorrow (Thursday the 10th) along with the extra credit assignment.
I hope everyone has a great Wednesday!
Mrs. Myers
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Early Release Day :)
I hope everyone is enjoying their early release day!
A few updates:
1. We are working through the first two chapters of "The Pearl" today and tomorrow and the first five discussion questions are due on Friday prior to students moving to their first encore class.
2. Students will be tested on their SAT Week 2 vocabulary on Thursday (tomorrow!)
3. Week 3 vocabulary is due on Monday, 12/7
4. We will have our class spelling be on Tuesday, 12/8. All students participate!
We have also jumped back on the 'Book Talk Bandwagon' this month. Please take a look at the schedule below to see when your child has a scheduled book talk. The rubric for this assignment can be found in the pink class syllabus that was handed out the first day of class.
12/4: Claire, Leesnitzer, Sam, Meghan, Taylor, Anna, Clai
12/7: Audrey, Sara S., Aria, Nolan, Sierra, Maggie
12/8: Landon, Danlee, Jesssica, Zach, Sam, Mateo
12/9: Bailey, Danielle, John, Connor, Alida, Isaac
12/10: Samantha, Natalie, James, Ben, Gabby
12/11: Patrick, Kristen, Lewis, Tory, Devana, Quincy
12/14: Demetrios, Greg, Sarah, Chloe, Brandon
12/15: Josie, Frances
12/16: Javon
Have a great Wednesday :)
A few updates:
1. We are working through the first two chapters of "The Pearl" today and tomorrow and the first five discussion questions are due on Friday prior to students moving to their first encore class.
2. Students will be tested on their SAT Week 2 vocabulary on Thursday (tomorrow!)
3. Week 3 vocabulary is due on Monday, 12/7
4. We will have our class spelling be on Tuesday, 12/8. All students participate!
We have also jumped back on the 'Book Talk Bandwagon' this month. Please take a look at the schedule below to see when your child has a scheduled book talk. The rubric for this assignment can be found in the pink class syllabus that was handed out the first day of class.
12/4: Claire, Leesnitzer, Sam, Meghan, Taylor, Anna, Clai
12/7: Audrey, Sara S., Aria, Nolan, Sierra, Maggie
12/8: Landon, Danlee, Jesssica, Zach, Sam, Mateo
12/9: Bailey, Danielle, John, Connor, Alida, Isaac
12/10: Samantha, Natalie, James, Ben, Gabby
12/11: Patrick, Kristen, Lewis, Tory, Devana, Quincy
12/14: Demetrios, Greg, Sarah, Chloe, Brandon
12/15: Josie, Frances
12/16: Javon
Have a great Wednesday :)
Monday, November 30, 2009
It continues...
We're back to the real world! I hope everyone enjoyed the LONG weekend and Thanksgiving Holiday. Today we reviewed our Week 2 SAT Words and signed up for December book talks. We also briefly discussed The Pearl and the idea that it is a work that is based on the idea of oral tradition. Students were asked to spend some time this evening working with the pre-reading questions that will guide them toward the ideas and themes of this novella as we begin reading tomorrow. These pre-reading qustions are due tomorrow prior to students moving to their encore classes.
We will read the vast majority of this work in class, although students will be asked to spend some time at home and out of class responding to the reading and making connections between their own lives and the text, the text and other similiar texts, and the text and the greater world.
We will spend time Wednesday reviewing our Week 2 words in preparation for the test Thursday. If you have a few free minutes, ask your child to share his/her word list with you. How many of these words are you familiar with? It's a tough list, I'm warning you!
As we look ahead, Wednesday (12/2) is an early release day and interim reports will be sent home on December 9th. There is also one editorial due this month, on 12/14.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call 644-3200 ext. 31900 or send me an email emily.myers@orange.k12.nc us
Have a great day!
We will read the vast majority of this work in class, although students will be asked to spend some time at home and out of class responding to the reading and making connections between their own lives and the text, the text and other similiar texts, and the text and the greater world.
We will spend time Wednesday reviewing our Week 2 words in preparation for the test Thursday. If you have a few free minutes, ask your child to share his/her word list with you. How many of these words are you familiar with? It's a tough list, I'm warning you!
As we look ahead, Wednesday (12/2) is an early release day and interim reports will be sent home on December 9th. There is also one editorial due this month, on 12/14.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call 644-3200 ext. 31900 or send me an email emily.myers@orange.k12.nc us
Have a great day!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Due on Monday, November 30th
After a five day weekend, we will begin Monday with a homework check (I know, I know...) Make sure you have your SAT Week 2 work completed. For a list of the words, look below:
Week Two
dubious
heed
mundane
abstruse
concede
duplicity
heresy
negate
accessible
conciliatory
duration
homogeneous
Note cards Due: Mon, 11/30
In-Class Review: Wed, 12/2
Test: Thurs, 12/3
We will also be signing up for our December book talks on the 30th, so come prepared with your agenda and an idea of when you'd like to present!
Book talk ideas:
*The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
*Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
*Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
*The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt
*Peak by Roland Smith
We will also begin our novel study of The Pearl by John Steinbeck once we return from Thanksgiving break. This is a quick novella that (to quote the back of the book) "explores the secrets of man's nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love." I can't WAIT to hear what you all have to say about this story!
Have a great Thanksgiving and I'll see you all on Monday!
:)
Mrs. Myers
Week Two
dubious
heed
mundane
abstruse
concede
duplicity
heresy
negate
accessible
conciliatory
duration
homogeneous
Note cards Due: Mon, 11/30
In-Class Review: Wed, 12/2
Test: Thurs, 12/3
We will also be signing up for our December book talks on the 30th, so come prepared with your agenda and an idea of when you'd like to present!
Book talk ideas:
*The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
*Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
*Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
*The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt
*Peak by Roland Smith
We will also begin our novel study of The Pearl by John Steinbeck once we return from Thanksgiving break. This is a quick novella that (to quote the back of the book) "explores the secrets of man's nature, the darkest depths of evil, and the luminous possibilities of love." I can't WAIT to hear what you all have to say about this story!
Have a great Thanksgiving and I'll see you all on Monday!
:)
Mrs. Myers
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