Our narrative essays are finished--or close to it! Yea! We worked on creating our final drafts today, and we compiled all of the prewriting activities and drafts we had done into one package. About half of the class finished during our class time; the other half needs to finish at home and bring the completed package to school on Wednesday.
Today during our reading time I asked the students to read exclusively--no RRJ--and to keep track of the number of pages they read in the 20 minutes we had. I ask students to read at home for 20 minutes a night, and I've been tracking each student's progress through books. My hope is that I will continue to see steady progress in reading, and by checking each student's individual capabilities I should be able to set individual expectations accordingly.
We all look forward to our Christmas celebration on Wednesday! We will participate in caroling in the morning, and our class will have a party together before heading out for bowling in the afternoon. A gift exchange game will be part of our day, so students should bring a wrapped $5 gift to school on Wednesday. Should be fun!
I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas! As we sang this morning, "O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord!"
Monday, December 19, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
December 16
We had a shorter day today because the students got to go to the Christmas Craft Shop during part of our morning. What fun it was to see the festive activities happening in the Christmas Shop! Students got to make crafts and put together gifts for family members, and I think they thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Be sure to say a big thank you to the moms and dads who helped organize this special day. It was a definite success!
We continued revision on our narrative essays today. Students will work on their final drafts on Monday, and the essays will be due on Wednesday before Christmas break. Some students may need to work on their essays at home in order to be ready for Wednesday.
We read and journaled today, and students checked to be sure they are on track with their RRJ entries. Some entries may need to be written at home, and the students are aware of what is required.
We look forward to the activities of next week--both the work and the celebrations! Have a wonderful weekend!
We continued revision on our narrative essays today. Students will work on their final drafts on Monday, and the essays will be due on Wednesday before Christmas break. Some students may need to work on their essays at home in order to be ready for Wednesday.
We read and journaled today, and students checked to be sure they are on track with their RRJ entries. Some entries may need to be written at home, and the students are aware of what is required.
We look forward to the activities of next week--both the work and the celebrations! Have a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
December 14
Today we really worked at revision on our narrative essays. I believe many students think that revision means "someone reads my paper and tells me what to correct." We talked about student ownership of revision and what it really is--that it means "I work on my writing to make it better."
Students received a checklist for narrative essay revision. It includes the strategies, techniques, and requirements we've talked about in class. We devoted some serious work time to revision today, and students worked on various parts of their essays, using the checklist as a guide. In conferencing with students as they worked, I was pleased to see students trying new things: one worked to add background information, another worked to condense a less-than-exciting part of his essay, another tried to add more of what he felt and experienced in order to create an "I was there" feeling for the reader, and several fine-tuned the language of their essays, working to choose clearer, stronger, more specific words. It was exciting to see progress being made! We'll continue to work on our essays on Friday, and hopefully we can get the final versions done before Christmas.
We did a bit more practice with dialogue today. Students worked with partners to correctly punctuate sentences using quotation marks.
Sharing good books and good authors is a natural part of what we do here in class, and today I introduced the students to Gary Schmidt, one of my favorite authors. He writes books intended for middle-schoolers, and he's won two Newbery Honor awards for his work. I shared some background information about Schmidt and his books with the class, and I read a couple pages from his latest book, Okay for Now, aloud. Together we appreciated the language and the story, and I hope some seeds of interest were sown!
Students need to continue to read at home. It's so exciting to see the progress many students are making through their books! Seeing and hearing students share questions, ideas, and opinions of books is also gratifying--even if it sometimes means I have to stop a conversation that's happening at the wrong time! :)
Students received a checklist for narrative essay revision. It includes the strategies, techniques, and requirements we've talked about in class. We devoted some serious work time to revision today, and students worked on various parts of their essays, using the checklist as a guide. In conferencing with students as they worked, I was pleased to see students trying new things: one worked to add background information, another worked to condense a less-than-exciting part of his essay, another tried to add more of what he felt and experienced in order to create an "I was there" feeling for the reader, and several fine-tuned the language of their essays, working to choose clearer, stronger, more specific words. It was exciting to see progress being made! We'll continue to work on our essays on Friday, and hopefully we can get the final versions done before Christmas.
We did a bit more practice with dialogue today. Students worked with partners to correctly punctuate sentences using quotation marks.
Sharing good books and good authors is a natural part of what we do here in class, and today I introduced the students to Gary Schmidt, one of my favorite authors. He writes books intended for middle-schoolers, and he's won two Newbery Honor awards for his work. I shared some background information about Schmidt and his books with the class, and I read a couple pages from his latest book, Okay for Now, aloud. Together we appreciated the language and the story, and I hope some seeds of interest were sown!
Students need to continue to read at home. It's so exciting to see the progress many students are making through their books! Seeing and hearing students share questions, ideas, and opinions of books is also gratifying--even if it sometimes means I have to stop a conversation that's happening at the wrong time! :)
December 12
Our week began with chapel this morning, and we were encouraged today to think about how it is that we "one-another". We heard from our speaker that we need to focus on others, and by helping and loving others, we will find ourselves taken care of, too.
We began our classroom time by writing about Christmas. Students thought about how they would focus their topic, spent a little time planning, and wrote at least 125 words on the topic. Having the students practice these skills helps to prepare them for written response questions which will come in classes and tests they will encounter in the future! A few students shared their responses with the class, and we recognized what a special time Christmas is for all of us!
We reviewed the work that we did last week in our Write Source books and talked about the various revision strategies we had learned. Students could see how these strategies proved effective in the examples in the book. It's challenging to effectively apply these strategies to our own writing, and that's what we'll work at this week.
We talked about the voice of the narrator in literature, and we learned the difference between first, second, and third person narration. We discovered that most of the books we're currently reading use a third person point of view, and a few use the first person. We learned that omniscient narrators can tell us everything!
We began our classroom time by writing about Christmas. Students thought about how they would focus their topic, spent a little time planning, and wrote at least 125 words on the topic. Having the students practice these skills helps to prepare them for written response questions which will come in classes and tests they will encounter in the future! A few students shared their responses with the class, and we recognized what a special time Christmas is for all of us!
We reviewed the work that we did last week in our Write Source books and talked about the various revision strategies we had learned. Students could see how these strategies proved effective in the examples in the book. It's challenging to effectively apply these strategies to our own writing, and that's what we'll work at this week.
We talked about the voice of the narrator in literature, and we learned the difference between first, second, and third person narration. We discovered that most of the books we're currently reading use a third person point of view, and a few use the first person. We learned that omniscient narrators can tell us everything!
Friday, December 9, 2011
December 9
We enjoyed snowflakes falling at recess today. What a beautiful reminder of our God's amazing power and creativity! And speaking of God's power and creativity... What a joy it is to look around at the faces of the seventh and eighth graders, to know them personally, and to see each one's unique God-given talents and abilities! It is a pleasure to work with this group of students. We work together, laugh together, question together, and learn together. I'm glad to be a part of this community of learners!
This morning we worked on writing dialogue, and we put into practice what we had learned about quotation marks. Students were given a set of comic strips, and they turned the characters' words into written dialogue. Students worked to write varied, interesting sentences, and they had good results.
We worked in groups today to learn about some of the things we can do when revising our writing. We consulted our Write Source books, read about techniques such as adding sensory details, writing longer sentences, and expressing feeling, and we worked with a partner to practice these skills. Next week we will apply what we learned to our narrative essays as we revise!
Of course, reading and journaling continues. It's always a pleasure to see students get "carried away" with their reading!
This morning we worked on writing dialogue, and we put into practice what we had learned about quotation marks. Students were given a set of comic strips, and they turned the characters' words into written dialogue. Students worked to write varied, interesting sentences, and they had good results.
We worked in groups today to learn about some of the things we can do when revising our writing. We consulted our Write Source books, read about techniques such as adding sensory details, writing longer sentences, and expressing feeling, and we worked with a partner to practice these skills. Next week we will apply what we learned to our narrative essays as we revise!
Of course, reading and journaling continues. It's always a pleasure to see students get "carried away" with their reading!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
December 7
Our devotions this morning were based on Ephesians 4:2--"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Sometimes these commands can be hard ones for middle-schoolers to put into practice! We know, though, that it's important to work at living according to God's commands, and it's exciting to see these students trying to put God's word into practice.
We got a chance to practice being humble and patient in our group work this morning. We read the story "Only One Woof" and were impressed by James Herriot's ability to tell a story well and by his command of the English language. The author used quite a few words that were unfamiliar to many of us, and today we took the opportunity to practice our dictionary skills. Students were given a list of vocabulary words from the story, and they worked in groups to alphabetize the words, look them up in the dictionary, and create definitions. It was a pleasure to see groups work well and efficiently together, and we all learned some new words in the process.
One requirement of our narrative essays is that they contain dialogue, and today we took time to go over some of the uses and rules of quotation marks. Students took notes on the various uses of quotation marks and wrote down examples of correct punctuation and capitalization when using quotation marks. They'll get a chance to practice their skills in writing dialogue on Friday!
We didn't have a lot of time for reading today, but we did squeeze in a few minutes with our books. For most students this is the most eagerly anticipated activity of our day! We enjoy immersing ourselves in our books, and it's encouraging to see students discussing books and recommending them to one another. We have a great reading community here in our classroom!
We got a chance to practice being humble and patient in our group work this morning. We read the story "Only One Woof" and were impressed by James Herriot's ability to tell a story well and by his command of the English language. The author used quite a few words that were unfamiliar to many of us, and today we took the opportunity to practice our dictionary skills. Students were given a list of vocabulary words from the story, and they worked in groups to alphabetize the words, look them up in the dictionary, and create definitions. It was a pleasure to see groups work well and efficiently together, and we all learned some new words in the process.
One requirement of our narrative essays is that they contain dialogue, and today we took time to go over some of the uses and rules of quotation marks. Students took notes on the various uses of quotation marks and wrote down examples of correct punctuation and capitalization when using quotation marks. They'll get a chance to practice their skills in writing dialogue on Friday!
We didn't have a lot of time for reading today, but we did squeeze in a few minutes with our books. For most students this is the most eagerly anticipated activity of our day! We enjoy immersing ourselves in our books, and it's encouraging to see students discussing books and recommending them to one another. We have a great reading community here in our classroom!
Monday, December 5, 2011
December 5
We began our day singing praises to God in chapel today. What a great start to our week!
Once we returned to our classroom, I asked students to reflect for a few minutes and write a response to the questions, "What is worship?" and "How do we worship?" We then discussed our answers. We talked about worship being our praise, devotion, and adoration of God, and we concluded that worship doesn't happen only in chapel or church, but that everything we do, if done for God, can be an act of worship!
We tried something new today: peer conferencing. Students brought their completed narrative drafts to class and met with at least one other student. Writers read their drafts to peers, and the peers responded by noting what worked well in the draft and mentioning the things that they would like to know more about. We discovered that it's really tough to offer solid, constructive feedback to our peers! Students worked at it, though, and many discussions regarding details and background could be heard in the classroom. Now the challenge is for students to take the suggestions of others and make improvements to their writing.
We continued with our reading and RR journals. Most students are making good progress through their books. Remember to encourage reading at home!
Once we returned to our classroom, I asked students to reflect for a few minutes and write a response to the questions, "What is worship?" and "How do we worship?" We then discussed our answers. We talked about worship being our praise, devotion, and adoration of God, and we concluded that worship doesn't happen only in chapel or church, but that everything we do, if done for God, can be an act of worship!
We tried something new today: peer conferencing. Students brought their completed narrative drafts to class and met with at least one other student. Writers read their drafts to peers, and the peers responded by noting what worked well in the draft and mentioning the things that they would like to know more about. We discovered that it's really tough to offer solid, constructive feedback to our peers! Students worked at it, though, and many discussions regarding details and background could be heard in the classroom. Now the challenge is for students to take the suggestions of others and make improvements to their writing.
We continued with our reading and RR journals. Most students are making good progress through their books. Remember to encourage reading at home!
Friday, December 2, 2011
December 2
Today we spent a large part of our morning drafting our narrative essays! We looked at some sample sentences of narratives and saw how they could be improved. We discussed the ways in which authors make their writing clear and interesting, and I encouraged students to include strong action words, sensory details, and dialogue in their drafts. Students worked hard to get their drafts completed, and most were successful. A few students didn't have quite enough time to finish, so they will need to complete their drafts over the weekend. Next week we'll be working on the revision process!
Our reading of books and writing in our RR journals continued, and many students wrote to fellow classmates today. It's encouraging to see journals being passed around the room as students share thoughts and ideas with one another.
We practiced using it's and its and had a short quiz.
And we wrapped up our day with reading James Herriot's "Only One Woof". This short story of Mr. Herriot's experience with a dog and its owner is an event that actually happened to the author, and it gave us a chance to see narrative writing in action. We also got a chance to learn some new vocabulary!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Students need to bring books to class next week (as always), need to have a RR journal entry completed (many done in class), and need to have their narrative drafts completed for Monday.
Our reading of books and writing in our RR journals continued, and many students wrote to fellow classmates today. It's encouraging to see journals being passed around the room as students share thoughts and ideas with one another.
We practiced using it's and its and had a short quiz.
And we wrapped up our day with reading James Herriot's "Only One Woof". This short story of Mr. Herriot's experience with a dog and its owner is an event that actually happened to the author, and it gave us a chance to see narrative writing in action. We also got a chance to learn some new vocabulary!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Students need to bring books to class next week (as always), need to have a RR journal entry completed (many done in class), and need to have their narrative drafts completed for Monday.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
November 30
We began our day today with a devotion about trusting in God--and trusting that his commands are for our good and are worthy of obedience. A theme throughout our devotions has been perseverence, and we certainly need to persevere in trying to obey God and make right choices!
Today we took another look at two poems we read earlier in the year: "To the Children" and "Change". Students reread the poems and looked for similarities and differences in the poems. They found similarities in the message and audience, and they found differences in the style and images used, among other things. After listing these similarities and differences, we talked about what it means to compare and contrast the poems. Students wrote paragraphs in which they compared and contrasted the poems; their paragraphs included a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Several students shared their paragraphs in class, and we all benefitted from hearing others' work. We noted words that were especially effective in comparing and contrasting and wrote them down in our notebooks.
We added the pair of words it's and its to our list of homophones, and we practiced using each word correctly. Remembering that it's always means "it is" is the key!
We spent some time talking about our RR journals and the content of entries. Students saw that many of their written responses could be improved with added explanation. We looked at some sentences from student journals and added details; we practiced the kinds of explanation that would improve an entry. We also took a look at the length of entries, and after averaging the length of page-long letters, students will now write 125-word or longer letters. (This will, I think, provide more uniformity in length than page-long letters.)
We had a little time for reading and responding, and before we knew it, our class time was over. As I told the students, "Time flies when you're having fun" --or maybe more accurately for them, "Time flies when you're working hard!"
Today we took another look at two poems we read earlier in the year: "To the Children" and "Change". Students reread the poems and looked for similarities and differences in the poems. They found similarities in the message and audience, and they found differences in the style and images used, among other things. After listing these similarities and differences, we talked about what it means to compare and contrast the poems. Students wrote paragraphs in which they compared and contrasted the poems; their paragraphs included a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Several students shared their paragraphs in class, and we all benefitted from hearing others' work. We noted words that were especially effective in comparing and contrasting and wrote them down in our notebooks.
We added the pair of words it's and its to our list of homophones, and we practiced using each word correctly. Remembering that it's always means "it is" is the key!
We spent some time talking about our RR journals and the content of entries. Students saw that many of their written responses could be improved with added explanation. We looked at some sentences from student journals and added details; we practiced the kinds of explanation that would improve an entry. We also took a look at the length of entries, and after averaging the length of page-long letters, students will now write 125-word or longer letters. (This will, I think, provide more uniformity in length than page-long letters.)
We had a little time for reading and responding, and before we knew it, our class time was over. As I told the students, "Time flies when you're having fun" --or maybe more accurately for them, "Time flies when you're working hard!"
November 28
Between the internet being down at school and days off for conferences, our staff inservice, and Thanksgiving, it's been a while since my last post! Let me try to catch up...
We're working on narrative writing, and we've been looking at and trying various prewriting activities. Students have brainstormed, done a freewrite, created lists, answered the 5W and H questions, and put events in order with a timeline. They're well prepared, I hope, to begin the drafts of their experiences! Students will be working to clearly describe their experiences and the lessons learned, and they will be incorporating dialogue into their narratives. We've read some examples of narrative writing and learned about the parts we'll need to include--an interesting beginning, middle, and end--and spent a few minutes getting the drafting process started. More serious drafting will happen this week!
We continue to read, think about, and appreciate the language of poetry. We've recently read Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" and Mary Howitt's "The Spider and the Fly." In each of these poems we noticed the intentional rhythm and rhyme, and though the subjects of the poems were very different, we learned an important lesson from each one.
We've added to our list of homophones, and we've gone over words such as you're and your, theirs and there's, and two, to, and too. Students have practiced using these words, and they are working to be sure that they use them correctly in their writing!
Students are reading and writing in their journals. It's exciting to see the progress many of them are making in their books! Students, please remember to read at home, too!
Returning from the Thanksgiving break provided the perfect opportunity for us to write about giving thanks. After spending a few minutes discussing Thanksgiving, students spent time drafting a 125-word response to the question "What are you thankful for?" I was proud of their answers. Students gave thanks for faith, family, and freedom. They mentioned the ways in which God provides for their needs, they gave thanks for life, and they expressed gratitude for the gift of salvation. Amen!
We're working on narrative writing, and we've been looking at and trying various prewriting activities. Students have brainstormed, done a freewrite, created lists, answered the 5W and H questions, and put events in order with a timeline. They're well prepared, I hope, to begin the drafts of their experiences! Students will be working to clearly describe their experiences and the lessons learned, and they will be incorporating dialogue into their narratives. We've read some examples of narrative writing and learned about the parts we'll need to include--an interesting beginning, middle, and end--and spent a few minutes getting the drafting process started. More serious drafting will happen this week!
We continue to read, think about, and appreciate the language of poetry. We've recently read Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" and Mary Howitt's "The Spider and the Fly." In each of these poems we noticed the intentional rhythm and rhyme, and though the subjects of the poems were very different, we learned an important lesson from each one.
We've added to our list of homophones, and we've gone over words such as you're and your, theirs and there's, and two, to, and too. Students have practiced using these words, and they are working to be sure that they use them correctly in their writing!
Students are reading and writing in their journals. It's exciting to see the progress many of them are making in their books! Students, please remember to read at home, too!
Returning from the Thanksgiving break provided the perfect opportunity for us to write about giving thanks. After spending a few minutes discussing Thanksgiving, students spent time drafting a 125-word response to the question "What are you thankful for?" I was proud of their answers. Students gave thanks for faith, family, and freedom. They mentioned the ways in which God provides for their needs, they gave thanks for life, and they expressed gratitude for the gift of salvation. Amen!
Monday, November 14, 2011
November 14
We revisited their, there, and they're today. We took a student-created quiz, and when given sentences students are choosing the correct homonym most of the time. Now the challenge is to apply that knowledge and use it consistently in our writing!
We're beginning another narrative writing project: a narrative essay. Students will be writing about an event they experienced that taught them something. The lessons learned may range from something practical--like "always hike with a partner"--to something more personal--like "I learned to always be myself". We began the project with some prewriting activities, and students should be prepared to dig in to writing on Wednesday.
We took a quick look at dialogue in books and noted the need to begin a new paragraph every time a new person speaks. And we spent a little time in class, as we do most days, reading.
Homework for Wednesday: Make sure to have a topic chosen for the narrative essay, and READ!
We're beginning another narrative writing project: a narrative essay. Students will be writing about an event they experienced that taught them something. The lessons learned may range from something practical--like "always hike with a partner"--to something more personal--like "I learned to always be myself". We began the project with some prewriting activities, and students should be prepared to dig in to writing on Wednesday.
We took a quick look at dialogue in books and noted the need to begin a new paragraph every time a new person speaks. And we spent a little time in class, as we do most days, reading.
Homework for Wednesday: Make sure to have a topic chosen for the narrative essay, and READ!
November 11
Today we all participated in our Leaf Raking day! God granted us a beautiful day weather-wise for raking, and it was truly a joy to see all of our students working together to serve others! I know that the group I accompanied was truly blessed by being able to meet the woman we helped. She was so grateful for the good work the students did, and the students were able to see the difference they made in her life. It was a pleasure to offer our service together!
After raking and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate back at school, we had time to turn in our narrative paragraphs and spend a few minutes reading. The morning went quickly, but we accomplished much!
After raking and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate back at school, we had time to turn in our narrative paragraphs and spend a few minutes reading. The morning went quickly, but we accomplished much!
November 9
Today we tried to appreciate God's gift of language! We took a look at what books do. Students came up with many purposes for books: books entertain, they teach us, and they help us to appreciate beauty were just a few of them. We spent some time talking about God's great book, the Bible, and noting that God uses it for some of those very same purposes! What a gift that book is!
We touched again on the concept of theme. We noted that the theme of a book is what is shown to us about life and living through what happens to the people in the story. Students thought about the books they are currently reading, and each student came up with a possible theme for the story.
Writers need to use conventions correctly, and we worked today on the homonyms there, their, and they're. We took notes on their uses, and students practiced using the correct "there" in sentences. They then checked their narrative paragraphs to see if they had any "there" errors to fix.
We continued to work on revising on our narrative paragraphs. Students were encouraged to try to read their paragraphs as if for the first time, and to try to find anything they would like their readers to see better or understand more deeply.
Student homework for Friday: Final drafts of narrative paragraphs due
We touched again on the concept of theme. We noted that the theme of a book is what is shown to us about life and living through what happens to the people in the story. Students thought about the books they are currently reading, and each student came up with a possible theme for the story.
Writers need to use conventions correctly, and we worked today on the homonyms there, their, and they're. We took notes on their uses, and students practiced using the correct "there" in sentences. They then checked their narrative paragraphs to see if they had any "there" errors to fix.
We continued to work on revising on our narrative paragraphs. Students were encouraged to try to read their paragraphs as if for the first time, and to try to find anything they would like their readers to see better or understand more deeply.
Student homework for Friday: Final drafts of narrative paragraphs due
Monday, November 7, 2011
November 7
Today we began our day with singing! What a pleasure it is to worship God together in chapel! Mr. Brad Stolman, our leader in chapel, encouraged to love one another and to "fix our eyes on Jesus" when times are tough. Good advice for all of us!
Our work began with a lesson on main characters. We noted that a main character is present in every book, and students suggested many ways that we know a character is the main character: the story follows and is focused on the character, we hear the character's point of view, we learn the thoughts, ideas, and personality of the character, and we see the character face a problem or experience a change. Students then wrote descriptions of the main characters in the books they are reading.
We took class time to read and to write in Reading Response Journals (RRJ). I suggested to students that writing about characters--what you learn about them, what you like or don't like, who they remind you of, what you think they'll do--is good subject matter for a RRJ entry.
We continued our work on our narrative paragraphs by looking at different ways to describe an experience. An event can be described and explained by a narrator, but using dialogue, action, or reaction adds excitement and interest. Students read examples of these types of writing, and we talked about the things in each sample that made it work well. Students then took a few minutes to try to find places in their own writing where they could use these types of description.
Our routine homework: READ!
Our work began with a lesson on main characters. We noted that a main character is present in every book, and students suggested many ways that we know a character is the main character: the story follows and is focused on the character, we hear the character's point of view, we learn the thoughts, ideas, and personality of the character, and we see the character face a problem or experience a change. Students then wrote descriptions of the main characters in the books they are reading.
We took class time to read and to write in Reading Response Journals (RRJ). I suggested to students that writing about characters--what you learn about them, what you like or don't like, who they remind you of, what you think they'll do--is good subject matter for a RRJ entry.
We continued our work on our narrative paragraphs by looking at different ways to describe an experience. An event can be described and explained by a narrator, but using dialogue, action, or reaction adds excitement and interest. Students read examples of these types of writing, and we talked about the things in each sample that made it work well. Students then took a few minutes to try to find places in their own writing where they could use these types of description.
Our routine homework: READ!
Friday, November 4, 2011
November 4, 2011
Today was a busy day! We began with a review of the role that subjects and verbs play in sentences, and we discussed subject and verb possiblilites. That meant we talked about common and proper nouns, pronouns, and action and state-of-being verbs. The students created some unusual sentences when they each came up with a subject or verb and then put two of them together!
We began the revision of the narrative paragraph drafts we wrote on Wednesday. Students started the process by rereading their paragraphs and looking at the subjects and verbs they had used in their writing. Many students were able to find stronger or more specific words to use in their paragraphs.
Our morning was interrupted--pleasantly so--by the arrival of Chuck, who came to award prizes to our magazine sellers. Congratulations to all of the students who received lollipops and won money in the cash ball toss!
We finished out our morning by reading a few Reading Response Journal entries and talking about the type of content that should be included in these entries. Students were assigned a RRJ entry to be written either in class or at home, and they had a few minutes in class to read or write.
Enjoy the weekend!
Homework: READ!
Have one RRJ entry completed in journal
We began the revision of the narrative paragraph drafts we wrote on Wednesday. Students started the process by rereading their paragraphs and looking at the subjects and verbs they had used in their writing. Many students were able to find stronger or more specific words to use in their paragraphs.
Our morning was interrupted--pleasantly so--by the arrival of Chuck, who came to award prizes to our magazine sellers. Congratulations to all of the students who received lollipops and won money in the cash ball toss!
We finished out our morning by reading a few Reading Response Journal entries and talking about the type of content that should be included in these entries. Students were assigned a RRJ entry to be written either in class or at home, and they had a few minutes in class to read or write.
Enjoy the weekend!
Homework: READ!
Have one RRJ entry completed in journal
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
November 2, 2011
Welcome to the seventh and eighth grade language arts blog!
I hope to create a post each class day to let you know whats going on in class and to alert you to any homework assignments your child may have. I'm enjoying working with the students! We're reading, we're writing, and we're appreciating the amazing gift of language given to us by God!
Today we took a look at narrative writing. Students were familiar with what a narrator does, and they quickly deduced that narrative writing tells a story. We read an example of narrative writing and examined the details that made it a good piece of writing. We then began the process of creating our own narrative paragraph. Students worked throught the first steps of the writing process: they brainstormed possible topics, chose a topic and created a timeline or other graphic organizer, and created a draft. Most students finished their paragraphs in class. On Friday we'll be working on revising the paragraphs and moving toward a final copy. I've emphasized to the students that it's important to keep all of their writing in all of the steps, including brainstorming lists and drafts. I want to see evidence of the writing process!
Students are reading books of their own choice right now. It's fun to see the variety of books being read, and it's also good to see several students reading the same book or series. Recommendations from peers do have an impact! Students need to bring their books to class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We do take a few minutes each class period to read. Students got their reading response journals in class today, and we spent some time talking about the letters they will be writing in their journals. I encouraged all students to be readers, writers, even literature experts in their letters. They will be responding to books and sharing ideas with me and one another, and I'm looking forward to hearing from each student.
I think that does it for today!
Homework for L.A.-- READ! (at least 20 minutes a day)
I hope to create a post each class day to let you know whats going on in class and to alert you to any homework assignments your child may have. I'm enjoying working with the students! We're reading, we're writing, and we're appreciating the amazing gift of language given to us by God!
Today we took a look at narrative writing. Students were familiar with what a narrator does, and they quickly deduced that narrative writing tells a story. We read an example of narrative writing and examined the details that made it a good piece of writing. We then began the process of creating our own narrative paragraph. Students worked throught the first steps of the writing process: they brainstormed possible topics, chose a topic and created a timeline or other graphic organizer, and created a draft. Most students finished their paragraphs in class. On Friday we'll be working on revising the paragraphs and moving toward a final copy. I've emphasized to the students that it's important to keep all of their writing in all of the steps, including brainstorming lists and drafts. I want to see evidence of the writing process!
Students are reading books of their own choice right now. It's fun to see the variety of books being read, and it's also good to see several students reading the same book or series. Recommendations from peers do have an impact! Students need to bring their books to class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We do take a few minutes each class period to read. Students got their reading response journals in class today, and we spent some time talking about the letters they will be writing in their journals. I encouraged all students to be readers, writers, even literature experts in their letters. They will be responding to books and sharing ideas with me and one another, and I'm looking forward to hearing from each student.
I think that does it for today!
Homework for L.A.-- READ! (at least 20 minutes a day)
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