Now that our ACT Aspire testing is done, we have class finals to look forward to this week. Tuesday is the English final for all classes. This is an in class final, lasting one class period. Students are encouraged to use their resource journals and have known this all semester as we take notes. They have been creating their own resource. Students also made a review Jeopardy game last week which we played in class today. The final will cover the books we've read this semester, plus vocabulary, language use skills, and figurative language interpretation. Students will do well to be very familiar with their journals because time will be the limiting factor on this final. There is one class period to complete this.
Take time to study and prepare. Get some rest and be ready to do well on this final this week. We will continue to learn and work after the final in a cross-curricular project, which will be assessed separately. Good luck as you prepare this week!
Monday, April 25, 2016
Monday, April 18, 2016
Testing
This week we are taking the ACT Aspire test. This is a new test fo rour school, taken in grades 3-10. It will give good data about individual student progress as well as data for our school as it relates to other schools in our state. This test is taken on the computer, so no bubbles to fill in with number 2 pencils, which is nice. After a few hangups with the secure login, everyone was able to get on and take the test. It is timed, which is different than CRT testing, and most students were able to finish without the panic last-minute issues. Hopefully with it being computer based, the feedback and scores will be back quickly. Ninth grades will take English Language Arts and Math this week, on Monday and Tuesday, while Tenth graders will also have a paper/pencil Science test, extending their testing week until Wednesday. Thursday will be make-up testing.
In ninth grade, we are working on essays related to our books this week. First block is writing what we affectionately call the Happiness Essay, determining factors required to be happy and deciding if their chosen book character achieved happiness in The Great Gatsby. In fourth block, we are finishing Of Mice and Men and writing a biographical narrative about an important relationship. We have focused on writing strong theses and I have met with each student about their thesis statement. So now we are down to the fun part - the writing and revising. With our reduced class time for testing, some of this work will need to be done at home to meet the deadlines. Because of their additional testing, tenth graders have reduced class time this week. We will be discussing The Metamorphosis that we just finished and we have one poem to analyze if we get time. We will also be reviewing for our final at the end of this week.
In ninth grade, we are working on essays related to our books this week. First block is writing what we affectionately call the Happiness Essay, determining factors required to be happy and deciding if their chosen book character achieved happiness in The Great Gatsby. In fourth block, we are finishing Of Mice and Men and writing a biographical narrative about an important relationship. We have focused on writing strong theses and I have met with each student about their thesis statement. So now we are down to the fun part - the writing and revising. With our reduced class time for testing, some of this work will need to be done at home to meet the deadlines. Because of their additional testing, tenth graders have reduced class time this week. We will be discussing The Metamorphosis that we just finished and we have one poem to analyze if we get time. We will also be reviewing for our final at the end of this week.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Reading Progress
Today we jumped right into class with reading our books. Each class is making progress with the reading. In all classes we have been keeping notes about what happens in the book, but also looking deeper at what inferences can we make about what is happening and how that might help us understand what comes later in the reading. We are analyzing characters and making predictions based on what we read. a key skill in literary analysis. In each class we are writing every day, making connections to what we read and making the text come to life for us as readers. We have had great discussions in each class.
In first block, as we reviewed chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, we discussed and wrote about what forces were accelerating a specific character and what forces were decelerating the character. We talked about forces like fear, jealousy, money, greed, love, and power.
In second block, with The Metamorphosis, we learned a real life fact about the author Franz Kafka, that as he knew he was dying, he asked a friend to destroy his writing after his death. The friend decided not to honor Kafka's wish and had the work published, several novels and other publications. We talked and wrote about if this was an honorable decision or not and gave our reasons. There is a lot that we don't know about that situation, but we had a lively discussion today. Second block also took a vocabulary quiz today and has another coming up on Thursday. The tenth graders have one IXL standard due today as well, G.1, on capitalization.
In fourth block, we talked about a time when someone convinced us to do something and a time we convinced someone else to do something. We tried to decide if the other person changed our mind or if we just gave in. Then we read Chapter 3 in Of Mice and Men, where there is some convincing going on. It gave us a nice connection when we read about Carlson trying to convince Candy to shoot his dog because it is old and smells bad. Also, a lively, interesting discussion that I wish we'd had more time to pursue!
We have testing coming up next week, so our schedule will vary to accommodate our test taking week. Have a great week!
In first block, as we reviewed chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby, we discussed and wrote about what forces were accelerating a specific character and what forces were decelerating the character. We talked about forces like fear, jealousy, money, greed, love, and power.
In second block, with The Metamorphosis, we learned a real life fact about the author Franz Kafka, that as he knew he was dying, he asked a friend to destroy his writing after his death. The friend decided not to honor Kafka's wish and had the work published, several novels and other publications. We talked and wrote about if this was an honorable decision or not and gave our reasons. There is a lot that we don't know about that situation, but we had a lively discussion today. Second block also took a vocabulary quiz today and has another coming up on Thursday. The tenth graders have one IXL standard due today as well, G.1, on capitalization.
In fourth block, we talked about a time when someone convinced us to do something and a time we convinced someone else to do something. We tried to decide if the other person changed our mind or if we just gave in. Then we read Chapter 3 in Of Mice and Men, where there is some convincing going on. It gave us a nice connection when we read about Carlson trying to convince Candy to shoot his dog because it is old and smells bad. Also, a lively, interesting discussion that I wish we'd had more time to pursue!
We have testing coming up next week, so our schedule will vary to accommodate our test taking week. Have a great week!
Monday, April 4, 2016
Reading, Reading, Reading
This week, we are doing some serious reading in all classes. First block is reading The Great Gatsby. We are half way though the book and we are finding some serious symbolism and enjoying making the connections to our day. The class time is too short, if only we had more time to read and discuss together! We will start a writing task in conjunction with this novel this week.
In second block, the tenth graders are starting The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka this week. We learned about the author and some good background information today, plus made a study guide with vocabulary words for an upcoming quiz next Monday. We will learn about existentialism and surrealism in literature (and art) as well. This novella is an interesting read with many applications to life today. Hopefully the students will see a new way of looking at life and people through reading this book.
In fourth block we started reading Of Mice and Men today. We started with the audio version and will move into small group and individual reading later on. We focused on the characters and setting of the opening scenes of the book. We are analyzing the character's early actions to see if pattern develop as the book continues. Fourth Block also has 2 IXL standards due on Tuesday, K.1 and K.2.
In all classes, students will need to be prepared for the April book report at the end of this month. The books we are reading now will be on the end of the year finals students will take, which seems like a ways off, but it comes up quickly. Have a great week and make time to read!
In second block, the tenth graders are starting The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka this week. We learned about the author and some good background information today, plus made a study guide with vocabulary words for an upcoming quiz next Monday. We will learn about existentialism and surrealism in literature (and art) as well. This novella is an interesting read with many applications to life today. Hopefully the students will see a new way of looking at life and people through reading this book.
In fourth block we started reading Of Mice and Men today. We started with the audio version and will move into small group and individual reading later on. We focused on the characters and setting of the opening scenes of the book. We are analyzing the character's early actions to see if pattern develop as the book continues. Fourth Block also has 2 IXL standards due on Tuesday, K.1 and K.2.
In all classes, students will need to be prepared for the April book report at the end of this month. The books we are reading now will be on the end of the year finals students will take, which seems like a ways off, but it comes up quickly. Have a great week and make time to read!
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