January 2 - January 5

English Lit/ English Comp

Welcome back!  I hope you had an enjoyable break.  This week students will be reading "Thank You, M'am."  The focus will be on textual analysis, elements of plot, multiple-meaning words, prepositions, and prepositional phrases. 

As of now, the test is tentatively scheduled for January 9th; however, I may need to push it back 1-2 days.  In the event that I decide to move the test, I will let you know. 

Below you will find the study guide, additional practice, and an answer key for the additional practice.  These tools will help you prepare for the test.

"Thank You, M'am" Study Guide
Additional Practice: Vocabulary
Additional Practice: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
Additional Practice: Plot
Additional Practice Answer Key

*Study Island: Students are required to earn blue ribbons in Elements of Plot and Multiple Meaning Words by January 9th.

Make it a great week!
Mrs. Fowler

December 18 - December 22

English Literature/ English Composition

We are a bit behind schedule because of the delay and the early dismissal last week.  Some of the classes had to take their test today instead of last Friday. 

We will be in the computer lab Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday completing classroom diagnostic testing. 

Junior high students will be watching a holiday movie in the auditorium on Friday. 

Have a merry Christmas!
Mrs. Fowler


Below you will find pictures of students participating in a jigsaw activity last week.

December 11 - December 15

English Lit/ English Comp

This week we will be finishing the first act of A Christmas Carol.  Students will receive the study guide on Monday, and the test will be on Friday.  Throughout the week, we will focus on dialogue, subject-verb agreement, literary analysis, and vocabulary. 

Students are also wrapping up Pearson's Mid-Year testing.

Students will only have homework if they fail to complete their assignments during class.  As always,
I highly recommend completing the additional practice.

Study Guide
Additional Practice: Vocab
Additional Practice: Craft and Structure
Additional Practice: Subject-Verb Agreement

Have a great week!
Mrs. Fowler

December 4 - December 8

English Lit/ English Comp

This week we will be wrapping up "The Last Dog."  We are reviewing on Tuesday and testing on Wednesday.  Students received a study guide last week. 

On Thursday, we are starting "A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley."  We will focus on vocabulary, subject-verb agreement, dialogue, and text analysis.

If you need a copy of the study guide or any of the additional practice, please see last week's post.

Have a great week!

November 28 - December 1

English Lit / English Comp

This week we will be reading "The Last Dog."  The selection begins on page 183 of the textbook.  If you are accessing the story electronically, it can be found under unit 2 small group.  Students will be working on comprehension, analysis, internal/external conflict and resolution, and simple/compound subjects and predicates.  The selection test is tentatively scheduled for December 6th.  Below you will find the study guide and additional practice.

Conventions additional practice
Craft and Structure Additional Practice
"The Last Dog" Study Guide
Word Study Additional Practice

4-Square Organizer Requirements:

The 4-Square is not homework unless students fail to finish during the allotted class time. 


Have a great week!
Mrs. Fowler

November 20 - November 22

English Lit/ English Comp

This week students will be completing the ELA Study Island Benchmark 2.  It is my hope that each student will show growth from the first time it was taken in September.  Students should not be discouraged if they do not score advanced.  We have a little over one marking period in, so there is still a lot to learn.  It's all about growth!

In composition, students are working on argumentative writing.  They are learning how to persuade someone using evidence, warrants, backing, and counterarguments.  I have  been impressed with what I have seen thus far!


Make it a great week!
Mrs. Fowler

November 13 - November 17

English Lit/ English Comp

This week we will be finishing "Danger!  This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!"  We will continue to practice the skills associated with this selection (text analysis, text structure, action/linking verbs, and word study) throughout the week.  The test on this selection will be on Thursday.  Students should complete the study guide to prepare for the test.  In addition to completing the study guide, I recommend studying the closure quizzes from throughout the unit and completing the additional practice for any area that students are having trouble with.  Rereading the selection the day before the test is also helpful.

Study Guide 
Action and Linking Verbs Additional Practice
Text Structure Additional Practice
Vocabulary Additional Practice
Additional Practice Answer Key

Have a great week!
Mrs. Fowler

November 6 - November 10

English Lit/ English Comp

At the beginning of this week,  students will be working on some cold reads and Study Island.

Toward the middle/end of the week, students will begin the short story, "Danger!  This Mission to Mars Could Bore You to Death!"  We will focus on the characteristics of informational writing, vocabulary, action and linking verbs, and text analysis.

The test will be next Thursday.
"Danger! This Trip to Mars Could Bore You to Death!" Study Guide
Additional Practice Word Study
Additional Practice Craft and Structure
Additional Practice Action and Linking Verbs
Additional Practice Answer Key

Another great way to prepare for the test is to review the skill sections that appear after the story in the textbook.  Many of the questions that appear on the text are taken from these sections.


Photos from our story snowball fight:

October 30 - November 3

English Lit/ English Comp

This week we will continue to work through the short story, "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed."  We will continue to focus on vocabulary, comparisons using adjectives and adverbs, figurative language, and comparing/contrasting the text and the radio play.

Please note that our next test is on Friday.  Each student has a study guide.  The questions that appear on the study guide also appear on the test.  As always, the test is open-book since the students need to find textual evidence to support their answers.  Students should start filling out their study guides ASAP.  Additionally, I recommend completing the additional practice available on my homework blog.

"Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed" Study Guide
"Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed" Additional Practice Answer Key
"Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed" Adjectives and Adverbs Additional Practice
"Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed" Figurative Language Additional Practice
"Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed" Vocabulary Additional Practice

Students are completing Venn diagrams in class comparing/contrasting the short story and the radio play.  The information in the Venn diagrams WILL be on the test.

Students will also be working on short story elements this week, and they will be writing a fictional narrative.

Students did a great job with the 4-corner debate last week.  Their opening statements were fantastic!  I have uploaded a few for your viewing pleasure.

Jack Maziekas is the winner of our 2 sentence story contest!  His classmates cast their votes last week.  His "scary" story:
I thought I was eating a chocolate chip cookie.  It turned out to be oatmeal raisin.

October 23 - October 27

English Lit/ English Comp

This week students will be moving into unit 2.  We are starting with the launch text, "Leaving Main Street."  Students were given a statement: We should stop exploring space because the money spent on space missions could be put to better use here on Earth.  Students were to strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree.  Students were grouped based on their choice and tasked with reading "Leaving Main Street."  Groups were to gather evidence from the text to support their position.  Students will present their arguments tomorrow in a debate format.

After completing the launch text, students will move into "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed."  Students will read the story and listen to the radio play.  We will be comparing and contrasting the two.  Students will also focus on vocabulary, figurative language, and comparisons using adverbs and adjectives.  Below you will find the study guide and the additional practice. As of now, I am going to tentatively schedule the test for November 1st.  That is subject to change.

Comparisons Using Adverbs and Adjectives Additional Practice

Figurative Language Additional Practice

Vocabulary Additional Practice

Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed Additional Practice Answer Key

Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed Study Guide 

Students will also complete vocabulary squares this week.

Rough drafts of the narratives that students have been working on in English Comp are due on Wednesday.  

The rest of our tablets are scheduled to arrive this afternoon!  As always, thank you for your support!

Make it a great week!

Mrs. Fowler

October 16 - October 20

English Composition/ English Literature

Due to the in-service day last Monday, the two-hour delay on Wednesday, and the condensed schedule on Friday, I am going to move the "An Invisible Thread" selection test to October 20th.
"An Invisible Thread" Study Guide
"An Invisible Thread" Additional Practice Answer Key
Adjectives Additional Practice
Narrative Point of View Additional Practice
Vocabulary Additional Practice
*Please note that students can also practice grammar using www.noredink.com.  I can also assign Study Island practice upon request.

This week we will continue to focus on close reading the text/providing textual evidence, narrative point of view, and adjectives.  Students will also finish writing a nonfiction narrative in which one generation learns from another.

Requirements for "An Invisible Thread" 4-Square Organizer:

Extension questions: answering questions using textual evidence.  1A:

"An Invisible Thread" Extension Questions - Answer to 1B

To practice varied sentence structure/establishing a content and point of view, students wrote two-sentence scary stories on Friday.  We will be voting on the best story this week.

Last week, students participated in a dialogue swap.  Below you will find some photos:

Make it a great week!

Mrs. Fowler

October 10 - October 13

English Literature/ English Composition

Reminder: "A Simple Act" selection test is on Tuesday, October 10th

This week we will be reading "An Invisible Thread" from unit 1 in our textbook.  We will be focusing on narrative point of view, adjectives, and vocabulary.

Some additional topics that will be covered in our composition class are correctly integrating dialogue into a narrative and beginning a nonfiction narrative with dialogue in order to establish a context and point of view.
Beginning a Narrative with Dialogue

Students will take the "An Invisible Thread" selection test on October 18th.  I highly recommend completing the additional practice to prepare for the test, but it is not required.
"An Invisible Thread" Additional Practice- Vocabulary
"An Invisible Thread" Study Guide
"An Invisible Thread" Adjectives Additional Practice
"An Invisible Thread" Narrative Point of View Additional Practice
Additional Practice Answer Key
"An Invisible Thread" Test Practice

Students will take a dialogue quiz on Thursday.  We are going to be using the website www.noredink.com to practice our grammar skills.  I will introduce the grammar skill, and students will complete their independent practice on the site.  This site provides differentiated instruction, adjusting questions based on each student's needs.  When learners get stuck, interactive tutorials pop up to help students correct their mistakes and keep going.  Students can utilize the site to practice and prepare for quizzes/tests.  There are even short quizzes for students to test their mastery of each grammar skill.

Make it a great week!
Mrs. Fowler

October 2 - October 6

English Literature / English Composition

This week students will be working on "A Simple Act" on pg. 32 in the Literature book.  The story is relatively short.  The skills that we will focus on are: vocabulary, textual analysis, subjective/objective point of view, first-person point of view, third-person limited point of view, third-person omniscient point of view, apostrophes, and adverbs.

Students should make a 4-square organizer after their first read.

There will be a quiz (5 questions) on apostrophes on Friday.

The test on "A Simple Act" will be on Tuesday, October 10th.  Students may begin working on the study guide immediately. A Simple Act Study Guide

As our students have started to realize, the Pearson selection tests can be quite difficult.  Encourage your student to study a little bit each day and complete the additional practice.
"A Simple Act" Vocabulary Practice
"A Simple Act" Point of View Practice
"A Simple Act" Adverb Practice
Answer Key

Students are finished with the "Two Kinds" selection test/retest.  Grades are in the computer.  On average, students saw a 20 point percentile gain.  Some students even saw a 30 point gain!  Below you will find some pictures of students participating in WIN (What I Need) time last week.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Fowler

September 25 - September 29

English Literature/ English Composition

We took the "Two Kinds" test on Friday.  To see your studen'ts test, have them log onto www.pearsonrealize.com.  Their username is ns followed by their lunch number, and their password is abc123.  Once you are on the site, click on assignments.  Click on the completed tab.  This will show you your student's score, what they need more practice with, and what they completed successfully.

The Pearson tests take some getting used to at first because they are very rigorous.  Students need to apply what they learned rather than just memorize and regurgitate information.  I am allowing students to retake the test if they are not happy with their score.  Prior to retaking the test, we will be having WIN time.  WIN stands for What I Need.  Each student needs practice with different combinations of different areas.  I do not want to bore students or waste their time by having them work on things that they have successfully completed.  I also do not want them to move on without mastering each concept from the selection.  WIN time takes care of these concerns.  Each student will be working on different areas such as nouns, pronouns, summary, point of view, textual evidence, and character this week.  When students have successfully completed the practice in their area(s) of need, they will retake the "Two Kinds" test.  The higher score of the two will go into the gradebook.

If a student does not have any area(s )that they need to practice, they will move to another selection that will provide them with a challenge so that they keep on growing.



In addition to our WIN time, students are taking the PSSA ELA Study Island Benchmark this week.

I wanted to update you on our Donors Choose project.  We are very close to meeting our goal!  We have successfully raised $1,438!  We still need $538 to meet our goal.  If you have not donated, please consider donating to this worthwhile cause.  Having this technology will help me successfully meet the needs of all of our students and keep everyone actively engaged.  Even $1 helps.  If you cannot donate, please spread the word. Thank you for all of your support thus far!

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/lets-get-fired-up-about-literacy/2777822/

Pictures of students citing evidence from the text last week:

Students playing Sentence Structure Quizlet:

Have a great week!

Mrs. Fowler

September 18 - September 22

English Composition/English Literature

The selection test on "Two Kinds" will be on Friday.  Click on the hyperlink to view the study guide.  It's never too early to start preparing! "Two Kinds" Study Guide

The sentence types/parts test in English Composition will take place on Tuesday.  I had originally scheduled it for Friday (9/15), but I felt the students had more to learn before the assessment.  Your students actually became teachers and prepared mini lessons to share with the class on this topic.  We will finish presenting student lessons tomorrow.  They have done a great job thus far!  They gave me some great ideas to use in the future.  The pictures below are from their presentations.

Please note the following important dates:

• "Two Kinds" First Read 4-Square is due by the end of the day on Tuesday (if not already turned in)
• "Two Kinds" Storyboard is due by the end of the day on Tuesday (if not already turned in)
• CDT tests are due September 22nd (if not already completed)
• Beginning-of-the-year testing (Pearson) is due September 29th (if not already completed)

Click on the hyperlinks for some extra practice leading up to the test on Friday.  Students do not have to complete these exercises, however, it is highly recommended.

"Two Kinds" Word Study Practice

"Two Kinds" Point of View Practice

"Two Kinds" Nouns and Pronouns Practice

There will be a reading strategy quiz on Thursday.  This week's strategy will be visualization.  Students should study the bell ringers from week 3 days 1-4 leading up to the quiz.  Updated Reading Strategy PowerPoint

Reminder: The last day for the doubling code for our Donors Choose project is on Thursday.  Up until Thursday, Donors Choose will double donations of up to $50 when you use the promo code LIFTOFF.    I'm excited to announce that WYLN is coming to do an interview about our project early this week!  Keep your eyes out for the broadcast.

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/lets-get-fired-up-about-literacy/2777822/