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Tag Archives: Weekly Assignments

February 18, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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Week at a Glance: February 18 – 22

Monday

Happy President’s Day.  Enjoy your day off and take time to read.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

DPG Week 18  (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech and sentence parts.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.  ISTEP Boot Camp:  Read the sample essays from past ISTEP writing prompts and rank them in order from best to worst.  There are two excellent essays, two good essays, and two poor essays.  Describe the qualities of each group of essays:  What makes the excellent ones so good?  What do the poor ones lack?
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose.  We’ll discuss your rankings and characteristics and use what you learned to create a rubric for good ISTEP writing.  How do you deal with a bad prompt–try Fake Writing Day.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Capitalization and Punctuation.  Use the steps of RUPR to read and understand what the writing prompt is asking you to do.  We will practice together using the “Facing a Challenge Prompt.  You will create just the prewriting for this prompt.  Revise your prompt by elaborating on you ideas.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming. Practice the RUPR steps on two prompts:  Baker and Classroom Technology.  Book order due.
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

February 11, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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2nd, 3rd Week at a Glance: February 11 – 15

Monday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 16 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   Write your lead for your research paper.  Follow the directions given in this blog post.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts. Begin writing the body paragraphs for your research paper.  Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.  Give an in-text citation for each fact you include.  Click here for more information and examples.
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose.  Continue writing the body paragraphs.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Capitalization and Punctuation.  Wrap it all up with your conclusion.  You can’t just stop or write “The End.”  Click here for suggestions on crafting a good conclusion for your research paper.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming. Get everything ready to turn in.  Before you print, make sure you have double spaced and included a header (with name, date period).  Print your Works Cited page as well.  Make sure it is titled “Works Cited” and that the entries are in alphabetical order and double-spaced.
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

February 11, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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5th, 6th, 7th Week at a Glance: February 11 – 15

Monday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 16 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   Write the body paragraph for the topic you took notes on.  Start with a topic sentence and give an in-text citation for each fact you include.  Follow the directions given in this blog post.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts. Begin writing the body paragraphs for your research paper.  Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.  Finish writing your body paragraph.
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose.  Write a lead for you author.   Follow the directions given in this blog post.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Capitalization and Punctuation.  Wrap it all up with your conclusion.  You can’t just stop or write “The End.”  Click here for suggestions on crafting a good conclusion for your research paper.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming. Get everything ready to turn in.  Before you print, make sure you have double spaced and included a header (with name, date period).  Print your Works Cited page as well.  Make sure it is titled “Works Cited” and that the entries are in alphabetical order and double-spaced.
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

February 4, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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2nd, 3rd Week at a Glance: February 4 – 8

Monday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 17 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   This week is all about the research.  We’ll create the first entry of your Works Cited page together.  Then look for the answers to your question. Be open to new information that matches your topics as well.  Be sure to indicate where you find each piece of information.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

 

Tuesday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts.  Continue to look for information for your topics.  You want to gather information for each topic from a variety of sources.  Create a works cited entry for each website or source you use.
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

 

Wednesday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose/Capitalization and Punctuation.  Continue to look for information for your topics.  You want to gather information for each topic from a variety of sources.  Create a works cited entry for each website or source you use.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

 

Thursday

 

DPG  Week  –  Capitalization and Punctuation. LIBRARY. Of course you will get to look for new good books to read.  If you need more information, you may use the library computers to finish your research.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

 

Friday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming. Write a lead for your research paper.  Start with the last sentence–your thesis.  What is your opinion of this writer–their writing and life–in one sentence?  Then create a “hook” by starting with an “ooh” fact.  What is the most interesting thing you learned about your author?  Give a citation.  Then connect your “ooh” fact to your thesis with a transition.
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

 

February 4, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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5th, 6th, 7th Week at a Glance: February 4 – 8

Monday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 17 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   This week is all about the research.  We’ll create the first entry of your Works Cited page together.  Then look for the answers to your question. Be open to new information that matches your topic as well.  Be sure to indicate where you find each piece of information.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

 

Tuesday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts.  Continue to look for information for your topics.  You want to gather information for your topic from a variety of sources.  Create a works cited entry for each website or source you use.
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

 

Wednesday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose/Capitalization and Punctuation.  Continue to look for information for your topic.  You want to gather information for each topic from a variety of sources.  Create a works cited entry for each website or source you use.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

 

Thursday

 

DPG  Week  –  Capitalization and Punctuation. LIBRARY. Of course you will get to look for new good books to read.  If you need more information, you may use the library computers to finish your research.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

 

Friday

 

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming. Write a lead for your research paper.  Start with the last sentence–your thesis.  What is your opinion of this writer–their writing and life–in one sentence?  Then create a “hook” by starting with an “ooh” fact.  What is the most interesting thing you learned about your author?  Give a citation.  Then connect your “ooh” fact to your thesis with a transition.
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

 

January 28, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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2nd, 3rd Week at a Glance: January 28 – February 1

Monday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 16 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   Discuss the last half of your books.  Use your title pages to help you talk about the themes in your books.  Turn in your title pages at the end of your discussion.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts. Brainstorm questions that you want to know about your author.  What would be important kinds of information to know about an author?  What makes a good research question?  Decide on a possible thesis to guide your research.
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose/Capitalization and Punctuation.  Organize your questions  into categories.  Be prepared to be flexible depending on what information you find as you begin your research, but these categories of questions will help you focus on the most important information.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Diagramming. How do you find a good source of information?  What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming. How do you avoid plagiarism?
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

January 28, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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5th, 6th, 7th Week at a Glance: January 28 – February 1

Monday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 16 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   Discuss the last half of your books.  Use your title pages to help you talk about the themes in your books.  Turn in your title pages at the end of your discussion.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts. Brainstorm questions that you want to know about your author.  What would be important kinds of information to know about an author?  What makes a good research question?
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose/Capitalization and Punctuation.  Organize your questions  into categories.  You should have the same number of categories as you have people in your group.  Each person will research and write about one category of information.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Diagramming. How do you find a good source of information?  What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming. How do you avoid plagiarism?
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

January 21, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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2nd, 3rd Week at a Glance: January 21-23

Monday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 15 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   Review what makes a good discussion.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts. What is theme?  Work on creating a “cover” for your book that reflects your understanding of one of the themes of your book.  Include the title and author on your cover.  Then draw a picture that represents the theme you chose.  On the back, copy a passage from the book that points to the theme.  Include the citation (author’s name and page number).  Write a paragraph explaining how your picture and quote reflect the theme.  Due Monday during your discussion.  Click here to see an example.  Here is an example of art that does no require drawing.  Don’t worry–I got carried away on the explanation part.
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose/Capitalization and Punctuation.  What is your author’s voice and style?
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Diagramming. LIBRARY.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming.  Convo during 1st and 2nd periods.  Winter Carnival during 5th, 6th, 7th periods.  We will move our discussions over the last half of your books to Monday since classes will not meet for most of the day.

January 21, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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5th, 6th, 7th Week at a Glance: January 21 – 25

Monday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 15 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.   Review what makes a good discussion.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts. What is theme?  Work on creating a “cover” for your book that reflects your understanding of one of the themes of your book.  Include the title and author on your cover.  Then draw a picture that represents the theme you chose.  On the back, copy a passage from the book that points to the theme.  Include the citation (author’s name and page number).  Write a paragraph explaining how your picture and quote reflect the theme.  Due Monday during your discussion.  Click here to see an example.  Here is an example that does not require drawing.  Don’t worry–I got carried away on the explanation!
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose/Capitalization and Punctuation.  What is your author’s voice and style?
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Diagramming. LIBRARY.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming.  Convo during 1st and 2nd periods.  Winter Carnival during 5th, 6th, 7th periods.  We will move our discussions over the last half of your books to Monday since classes will not meet for most of the day.
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?

January 14, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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2nd, 3rd Week at a Glance: January 14 – 18

Monday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.   DPG Week 14 (Daily Grammar Practice):  parts of speech.  Today we are going to set a weekly reading goal that will be a homework grade.  To determine your goal, you are going to figure out your reading rate for the book you are currently reading.  Read for 10 minutes and count how many pages you read in that amount of time.  Read at a comfortable rate for good comprehension.  Then multiply the number of pages you read by 6 to determine the number of pages you could read in one hour.  Next, double that number to determine the number of pages you could read in 2 hours.  You should read at least 2 hours outside of class each week.  You will record the page you are on each day in class.  At the end of the week you will total the number of pages you’ve read.  If you change books, you will need to figure a new rate of reading and adjust your goal accordingly.  As you read your book for the author research project, take notes on the main characters and setting and conflict.  Support your thoughts with examples from the book, including page numbers.
Homework: Read.  Start reading toward your weekly goal.

Tuesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – sentence parts. Use the notes you have taken on character, setting, and conflict to write a half page summary of the first half of your book.  You will use your notes and summary to discuss and compare your books in your groups on Friday.
Homework: Read. How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Wednesday

Read first fifteen minutes of class. DPG – Clauses, Sentence Type and Purpose.  ACUITY test.
Homework: Read.  How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Thursday

DPG  Week  –  Capitalization and Punctuation. Enter ACUITY answers into computer.  Finish preparing notes and summary for tomorrow’s discussion.  Set up comparison chart for tomorrow’s discussion.
Homework: Read.   How are you doing toward your weekly goal?

Friday

Read first fifteen minutes of class.  DPG  — Diagramming.  Use your notes to compare the characters, setting, and conflict among your books.  Each person should fill in their chart with information about each book for character, setting, and conflict.  At the end of your discussion, you will evaluate yourself and each group member with the Discussion Rubric in your Reading Journal.  Turn in your notes and summary, Comparison Chart, and evaluation.
Homework: Read.  Have you met your weekly goal?