English 8/9 (1)

This is the final class for students to complete their character sketches and paragraphs.

These are now considered overdue.

Students who had finished were given the option of watching a movie or reading.

Language Arts 7

Today students began by practicing their oral fluency reading selection.  Students were first asked to read the selection individually.  Students then listened to me read it aloud, before reading it aloud together as a class.  Finally, students were asked to read the page to a partner.

Students then came to me to read individually in order to assess their reading fluency.

Students have practiced reading orally throughout the year and will continue to do this.

Students, when not reading to me, were given an assignment to be completed while watching a movie, Divergent.

After lunch, students continued working on their assignments, and then set up for band.  We worked through the method book, learning two new notes!

Great job everyone!

I'm looking forward to hearing the students after a weekend of at home practice!

English 8/9 (2)

Today students began by doing a peer assessment of a paragraph.

Once students had completed this, they handed the papers back to their peers.

After this, students completed the activity based on the movie, Divergent.

Students will soon be swapping teachers in this English section.  I wish to note that I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these fine students and will miss their smiling faces.

Good luck next semester!!

Language Arts 7

Students were given the time they needed to complete their final drafts of their paragraphs.  These will now be assessed and used to show their continual progress on the upcoming report card.

When finished, students were asked to partake in one of the following activities: reading, drawing, working at a puzzle, or checkers.

Students then completed another split image exercise.  The pictures used are below:

Students then worked through their method books.  We also played To A Skylark from the beginning to bar 19 and all of Conquest.

English 8/9 (1)

Students were handed back their rubrics for their individual projects.  Students were also shown their marks which will be placed on their report cards.  Feel free to discuss this with your child and then with me should you have any concerns.

Students spent the rest of the class working on completing their final drafts of their character sketches and character paragraphs.

These are both due on Friday, January 30, 2015.

English 8/9 (2)

Today students began with a creative writing exercise.  Students were asked to type a story using the following prompting questions:

1.    How long have you been on the planet?

2.    Why did you go there?

3.    Describe two people who are with you?

4.    Why is your spaceship damaged?

5.    When you decided to leave your ship, how far did you walk?

6.    What were you looking for?

7.    When did you realize that someone was following you?

8.    Describe the creature.

9.    While you were running away, you tripped and fell.  What happened?

10.         What was the big surprise at the end of your story?

Students then printed this off and handed it in.

Students then worked through an activity based on the book/movie Divergent.  See the instructions below:

Divergent Activity

Please define the following terms.  Use the dictionaries at the back of the class.  Feel free to discuss the definitions with the people at your tables so that the best student friendly language can be utilized.

Erudite:  

Abnegation:  

Dauntless:  

Amity:  

Candor:  

Identify the faction you would choose:  _________________________________________________

In a paragraph below, explain why.

Students watched the first 20 minutes of the movie after finding the definitions and then had about 10 minutes to write their paragraph.

Language Arts 7: Writing Rubric

 Writing Rubric

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Exemplary
Snapshot	Does not accomplish task.  The writing addresses the topic but is seriously flawed by problems in logic, style, and mechanics. May be very short and/or difficult to follow.	Some gaps in performance.  The writing presents relevant ideas about the topic but does not develop the topic to any extent; often vague. May be flawed by errors and often does not flow	Satisfies requirements of task.  The writing is clear, detailed and logical, with some analysis and development of a central idea. Well-organized & accomplishes purpose/task.	Features complex qualities.  The writing is clear, complete, Focused, and shows some insight. It features some engaging ideas or language. Effectively accomplishes purpose or task.
Conventions • spelling • sentence structure • punctuation • grammar	·       many basic spelling mistakes ·       too many run on/fragment sentences ·       many basic punctuation errors ·       many capitalization mistakes ·       slang words	·       errors in spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure—but meaning is clear ·       some run on/fragment sentences	·       some errors, but only in complex words and sentences ·       proper grammar used	·       few errors, but only in complex words and sentences ·       obvious understanding of complex words and sentence structure ·       clear understanding of punctuation
Form • beginning • middle • end • organization • transitions • paragraphing	·       has no clear beginning, middle, or end ·       skips from one idea to another ·       beginning and end don’t match ·       one big paragraph	·       missing some parts of beginning, or end ·       lists ideas with some explanation ·       beginning simply introduces the topic ·       conclusion is minimally interesting	·       has clear beginning, middle, and end ·       connects ideas with transitions ·       beginning interests reader ·       conclusion tries to have an impact ·       writing has shape (paragraphs if an essay)	·       Flows smoothly from beginning to end ·       transitions help with flow ·       beginning hooks reader ·       conclusion has a strong impact ·       has well placed new and original ideas
Style • clarity • variety • impact of language	·       uses words incorrectly ·       repetitive word use ·       Short, choppy sentences only ·       no individuality ·       uninteresting words	·       basic word use ·       uses a few interesting words ·       little sentence variety ·       some individuality	·       words are not overused ·       thoughtful word choices ·       uses sentence lengths/types ·       noticeable individuality	·       creative and juicy words ·       effective sentence variety helps with flow ·       may use images (metaphor, simile, personification, etc...)
Meaning • ideas and information • use of detail	·       no topic sentence ·       meaning is unclear ·       no connection between ideas or opinions ·       contains no evidence or details from text or imagination	·       topic appears undecided or undeveloped ·       incomplete or random ideas and opinions ·       very few details from imagination and/or evidence	·       clear topic sentence ·       strong sense of purpose ·       ideas and opinions make a clear point ·       uses imagination, details and evidence to back up point	·       topic catches reader’s attention ·       ideas and opinions make an impact ·       details make comparisons outside of story ·       fresh ideas