Monday, September 25, 2017

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

Sunday, September 17, 2017

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.

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/

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

September 11 - September 15

September 11 - September 15

We have a special project going on!

Mrs. Leib and I are extremely excited to announce that we created a Donors Choose project in order to raise funds to purchase tablets for our classrooms! Pearson has a phenomenal online component.  Having these tablets would allow us to differentiate for all of our students based on their need for support and/or enrichment.  Additionally, we would be able to access such resources as Study Island and Google Classroom on the devices.

You can make a donation to our project now, and it'll be applied as soon as the project is published. Even better, when you enter the code LIFTOFF at checkout, your donation (of up to $50) will be matched from now until 7 days after the project is officially published after review by the Donors Choose team!  Use the link below to make your donation.  Please help us achieve our goal by spreading the word and/or making a donation.  Our students deserve this opportunity!

 We are reading an excerpt from Two Kinds.  You can find this selection on page 13 of the textbook or online in the unit 1 whole group area.  Students are working collaboratively to conduct a first read.  Students are to read for comprehension and fill out a 4 square organizer.  This is a longer selection, so the first read will be done over the course of today and tomorrow.  We will conduct a close read on Wednesday.  This means that we will start to analyze the craft and structure of the text.  Expect a test on this selection sometime next week.  I will let you know the exact date as we move closer and email out a study guide.



Students will have a quiz in English Literature on Thursday.  In order to prepare for the quiz, students should review the Week 2 bell ringers, Days 1-4.  We are focusing on making connections with the text. Bell Ringer Powerpoint with Strategy Introductions


There will be a quiz in English Composition on Friday.  The English Composition quiz will focus on simple, compound and complex sentences.  Students will also need to know when/where to insert a comma in these sentences.  Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences Practice  To learn the sentence parts and types, students have been taking part in activities where they stand up and represent the sentence parts/types.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

September 5 - September 8

English Literature/English Composition

Parents/Guardians,

We have been spending a lot of time learning about how a reader can monitor his/her comprehension as he/she reads.  Any time we read during class, I require students to highlight and make notes in the margin.  If a reader only highlights, he will not remember why he highlighted when he returns to the text in the future.  Making notes for your future self is crucial!  If a student comes upon something unfamiliar, he should highlight it and write a question mark.  The student can ask questions and/or look it up after he finishes reading.  Finally, students should finish each section by telling what it was about in his/her own words.  2-3 sentences should suffice.

I ask that you try to get your student to use these reading strategies in other subject areas as well.  I can guarantee you will see an increase in achievement.  If a student cannot write in their textbook, you can have them fold a piece of notebook paper in half and place it to the side of the book.  In one column, he can write the page number.  In the other, he can write important words/passages, vocabulary, the main idea, unfamiliar or confusing things, etc.  Reading Strategies

In addition to learning about how to be a better reader, we learned some academic vocabulary and roots.  Students created 4-square organizers that will serve as study guides when preparing for a future test.  Click on the link to view the vocabulary: Unit 1 Academic Vocabulary

This week we will perform a close read on the launch text, "Grounded."  After reading the text, students will complete stations to help deepen their understanding.

Thursday and Friday will be spent in the computer lab completing the mandated Classroom Diagnostic Testing.

Please note that we will have a reading quiz every fifth day.  Students can study their reading bell ringers to prepare.