September 2013 archive
129) Hidden by Helen Frost – amazing poetry tells an exciting story
130) First Hand Faith by Ryan and Josh Shook – I’m looking forward to leading this study with my youth at church
131) Vet Volunteers: Homeless by Laurie Halse Anderson – I love Anderson’s YA and historical thrillers. Now I love her series for younger readers. My animal lovers will love these, too.
132) The Running Dream by Wendelin van Draanen – I love so many things about this book!
133) Red Thread Sisters by Carol Antoinette Peakcock – What a story of friendship and family and love
134) The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett by Tom Angleberger – Origami Yoda and the rest of the gang take on Fun Time with help from a surprising ally. I’m ready to start folding puppets and take on the forces behind Fun Time myself.
135) Reign of Error by Diave Ravitch – Let’s set the facts straight about the state of education and education reform.
I read only seven books in September, but they were good ones. My favorites were The Running Dream and Hidden. What were your favorite reads in September?
Monday
Objectives:
- Write character analysis for book project.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 6 (Monday – parts of speech). We will be typing in Google Docs. This allows you to work on your assignment from any computer or device with an internet connection. To log in, go to http://drive.google.com. Your username is your first and last name (as on your school records) plus the last two digits of your year of graduation @jcsc.org (Example: kaymcgriff19@jcsc.org). Your password is you lunch account number plus the last two digits of your year of graduation. (Example: 12345619). Once you are signed in, click on the red CREATE button on top left. Choose DOCUMENT from the drop down menu. Rename your document with the title of your book. Create a header. (Click on the INSERT menu and choose HEADER from the drop down menu.) Press ENTER on your keyboard once before typing. Then type your full name, date, and period in the top right corner. Get out of the header by clicking below the gray line. Now you are ready to start typing your paragraph. Begin with your topic sentence: “___________ (name of protagonist) is _______________ (trait you chose to write about). Then support your claim with at least two examples from your book. What does your character say or do or look like that shows this trait? Give a citation (author’s last name and page number) for each example. Use the notes you took from in your Writer’s Notebook. No need to save your work because Google Docs saves as you type!
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Study for roots quiz on Friday. First period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today. Click here to see list of what should be in them. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Each item is linked to the week’s assignments that gives the directions.
Tuesday
Objectives:
- Write character analysis for book project.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 6 (Tuesday – sentence parts). Finish typing your paragraph. To open the file you started yesterday, log into Google Docs. Then click on the name of the file (which should be the title of your book). Begin with your topic sentence: “___________ (name of protagonist) is _______________ (trait you chose to write about). Then support your claim with at least two examples from your book. What does your character say or do or look like that shows this trait? Give a citation (author’s last name and page number) for each example. Use the notes you took from in your Writer’s Notebook. No need to save your work because Google Docs saves as you type!
Homework: Read a book of your choice for 15-30 minutes. Study for roots quiz on Friday. Second period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today. Click here to see list of what should be in them. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Each item is linked to the week’s assignments that gives the directions.
Wednesday
Objectives:
- Write setting analysis for book project.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 6 (Wednesday – clauses, sentence type and purpose). To open the file you started yesterday, log into Google Docs. Then click on the name of the file (which should be the title of your book). Begin your setting paragraph with a topic sentence: “The setting of this story is ________________ (describe the time and place). Then give two examples of how the setting affects the character and plot. Describe the setting and explain why it matters. Give a citation (author’s last name and page number) for each example. Use the notes you took in your Writer’s Notebook. I hope to see you at Parent Conferences tonight or Thursday.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Study for roots quiz on Friday. Third period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today. Click here to see list of what should be in them. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Each item is linked to the week’s assignments that gives the directions.
Thursday
Objectives:
- Write setting analysis for book project.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 6 (Thursday – Correct capitalization and punctuation). To open the file you started yesterday, log into Google Docs. Then click on the name of the file (which should be the title of your book). Begin your setting paragraph with a topic sentence: “The setting of this story is ________________ (describe the time and place). Then give two examples of how the setting affects the character and plot. Describe the setting and explain why it matters. Give a citation (author’s last name and page number) for each example. Use the notes you took in your Writer’s Notebook. I hope to see you at Parent Conferences tonight!
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Study for roots quiz on Friday. Fourth period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today. Click here to see list of what should be in them. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Each item is linked to the week’s assignments that gives the directions.
Friday
Objectives:
- Complete roots quiz and set reading goal.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 6(Sentence Diagramming). Set reading goal for the week (See how many pages you can read comfortably in 10 minutes. Then use your math skills to figure out how many pages you could read in 2 hours. This is your reading goal for the week.) Complete Roots Quiz over Group 1 – 3. This quiz will be in the same format as the previous quizzes.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Roots quiz today! Sixth and seventh periods will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today. Click here to see list of what should be in them. Scroll to the bottom of the page. Each item is linked to the week’s assignments that gives the directions.
We kicked off a new year of Survivor Book Club on Thursday with four fantastic books. By the time we left, all of the library copies were checked out! Check out these trailers for the four books and see for yourself.
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt combines bullying older brothers, Audobon’s bird pictures, violent family problems, and an eccentric actress into a year that will never be forgotten.
Legend by Marie Lu packs kick-butt action with evil government secrets to reveal a stunning and deadly secret.
Close to Famous by Joan Bauer is filled with hidden secrets, delicious cupcakes, new friends, and a menacing prison escape.
Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenburg blends fact and fiction to bring you all the behind the scenes details of the magnificent ship and its tragedy. There is not a trailer for the book, so here is a computer simulation that explains how the ship sank.
I’ve read all four of these, and I’m not sure which one I like best. They are all good. Which one do you want to read? Can you stop with just one?
I think today’s lesson was a hit. We’ve been discussing theme (the literary kind) this week. As a reader, I find themes to be the most satisfying part of reading. I love thinking about how the big ideas about life play out in a particular story. If I’m really lucky, I will come away richer and wiser about life. As a teacher, though, I find it difficult to teach theme. Thanks to my colleagues at the IUSWP, I tried a new lesson on theme using a popular song. The demo lesson this summer modeled finding theme in “Merry Go Round” by Kacey Musgraves. Even though it’s a great song, I decided that I could not listen to and discuss such a depressing song six times in one day.
Instead, I chose to use “Firework” by Katy Perry. I apologize to any who don’t like the song or have heard it too many times. If you haven’t heard it in a while, click on over. I still enjoy it after six times today. I must say, there is nothing quite like hearing a room full of seventh graders sing along. Some even accompanied their singing with head-bobbing, foot-tapping, and hand-waving. It was quite a sight. I wish I had gotten pictures or video, but the iPad was playing the video. Third period wins for the best sing-along. Sixth period was the most enthusiastic.
I was even more impressed with our discussions afterwards. Even though a few students thought it might be pretty cool for someone to literally explode into fireworks, most grasped the metaphors in the song as we dove into theme. Our first step was to capture what the song is about in a single word or phrase. I erased first period’s responses before writing them down, so I hope I remembered all of them. Some choices came up every class, but even by seventh period, I was surprised and impressed with new ideas. In no particular order, here is what we came up with:
- only one you
- invincible
- be yourself
- believe in yourself
- encouragement
- love
- self-confidence
- caring
- worth or self-worth
- pride
- being different and unique
- do anything
- try it
- beautiful
- not a waste of space
- awesome
- you’re special
- perseverance
- faith
- hope
- you can do it
I didn’t collect the next part of the lesson, so I need your help. To find the theme, we asked, “What does the song say about __________?” I know the ones in class were amazing and awesome! Leave yours in a comment below.
If you want to share another song, paste the link in a comment and tell us what theme y ou take away from it.
Monday
Objectives:
- Explore banned books in the library.
No Daily Grammar Practice (Monday – parts of speech). Before we head to the library, we will learn the definitions of Group 3 Roots and brainstorm words that use them. Choose two example words for each root. Then find the definitions and draw a picture to help you remember the root. If you need help with example words and definitions, click here. This week kicks off Banned Books Week. Miss Bowman will share some of the most frequently challenged books. Do you think middle school students should be prevented from reading these books? Write your thoughts in your Writer’s Notebook.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Complete Group 3 Roots (due Friday).
Tuesday
Objectives:
- Analyze themes in a story.
No Daily Grammar Practice (Tuesday – sentence parts). We have read Each Kindness together. What is one word that describes what the story is about? Write down that word in your Writer’s Notebook. Find a partner with a similar word. Talk about what you think the author is trying to say about that word. Write one sentence that explains what you think the author says about that word. What examples from the story support your thinking?
Homework: Read a book of your choice for 15-30 minutes. Complete Group 3 Roots (due Friday).
Wednesday
Objectives:
- Analyze theme in a popular song.
No Daily Grammar Practice (Wednesday – clauses, sentence type and purpose). We will read and listen to the lyrics of “Firework” by Katy Perry. In your Writer’s Notebook, write down one word that you think describes what the song is about. (HINT: It’s not fireworks.) Talk with a partner who has a similar word. What is the author trying to say about this word? Write your answer in your Writer’s Notebook in one sentence. The subject + the commentary = THEME. Underline lines in the song that support your idea for the theme. Write a paragraph that states what you think the theme is and gives at least two examples from the song to support it.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Complete Group 3 Roots (due Friday) .
Thursday
Objectives:
- Field Trip to Indiana University.
No Daily Grammar Practice (Thursday – Correct capitalization and punctuation). We will be visiting two museums on the campus of Indiana University. Just like songs and literature, artwork has themes, too. Choose one work to describe. What is one word that describes the subject of the work? What do you think the artist is saying about that subject? What details from the work support your thinking?
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Complete Group 3 Roots (due Friday).
Friday
Objectives:
- Analyze theme in a story and use details to support your opinion.
No Daily Grammar Practice (Sentence Diagramming). Set reading goal for the week (See how many pages you can read comfortably in 10 minutes. Then use your math skills to figure out how many pages you could read in 2 hours. This is your reading goal for the week.) Think about the book you are reading for the book project. What is one word that captures an idea the book is about? Write one sentence that explains what you think the author is trying to say about that subject. What examples from the story support your thinking? Are there lines from the book that express this idea? Take notes of those in your Writer’s Notebook.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Group 3 roots due today!
I am always amazed by the variety of voices and genres that Avi writes in. City of Orphans gives yet a new voice in Avi’s historical fiction works. The streets of New York City are a rough place to be as a kid in 1893. Even though many things have changed since then, I couldn’t help but think of city streets today as I read.
Our hero, Maks Geless, sells papers for the The World, but he he hounded by Bruno and the rest of the Plug Ugly Gang. While running from Bruno and the gang, Maks is rescued by Willa, a street kid with an uptown accent. He brings her home where they learn that Maks’s older sister has been arrested and sent to the city jail known as the Tombs. She’s accused of stealing an expensive watch from a patron of the Waldorf Hotel where she works. Maks has four days to prove her innocence with no one to help but an eccentric lawyer, Bartleby Donck, who guides them in the art of detection. Meanwhile, Willa tags along and searches for answers of her own.
Believe it or not, all these different characters and storylines are connected by threads they cannot see, and neither does the reader until close to the end. The narrator brings the city streets to life–filled with crowds and dirt and danger. For the most part I enjoyed the voice of the narrator, who gives the story the feel of an old detective show (the really old shows like Dragnet), but sometimes the strong voice interrupted the flow of the story when giving too much commentary on the action.
After reading Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer, I have challenged my students to read 40 books during the school year. At first they are shocked. They swear it is impossible. Then they start looking for their first book, and I look forward to hearing their excitement in the mornings and throughout passing periods as they come up to me and exclaim, “Can you believe what happened in the chapter I read last night?” I just smile and tell them that my plan for world domination is for them fall in love with books and reading.
One way I celebrate all we read is by simply counting up all the books we have all read and share the totals. When we put it all together, we are some impressive readers. Some of my students are finishing their first book. Others have sped through my collection of graphic novels. We have read picture books, novels, and informational texts. I celebrate all the books we read, and here are our first results.
- 1st Period: 24 students have read 52 books. That’s an average of 2.2 books per student.
- 2nd Period: 20 students have read 45 books. That’s an average of 2.3 books per student.
- 3rd Period: 20 students have read 56books. That’s an average of 2.8 books per student.
- 4th Period: 19 students have read 54 books. That’s an average of 2.8 books per student.
- 6th Period: 20 students have read 50 books. That’s an average of 2.5 books per student.
- 7th Period: 15 students have read 20 books. That’s an average of 1.3 books per student.
Drumroll, please! That means a grand total of 118 students have read 277 books. Wow! That’s an average of 2.3 books per student. I can’t wait to see what we read all year long.
What have been your favorite books so far this year?
I’m taking part in the weekly Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers, where teachers write and share each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slicers. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.
For the past several years, I have been fortunate enough to connect with authors who are willing to share their time with my students through Skype visits. I think this year has been the earliest I have been able set up a Skype visit with an author, and it is definitely the furthest distance. It started out with an invitation to receive an ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) of Rose by Holly Webb and take part in a blog tour as this series comes from England to the United States. I eagerly signed up, and read this delightful book about an orphan in Victorian England who just might have a touch of magic whether she wants it or not. (You can read my review here.) Then Holly graciously answered questions that I submitted from my students. The next thing I knew, she was offering to do a virtual visit with my students. When I shared the news with my first period language arts class, they were excited. So was I.
Before the visit, I read a brief excerpt from Rose (the student who is currently reading it, didn’t want to let go of it for long.) We visited Holly’s website. Then the students wrote questions to ask her during the visit. I knew from past experience that middle-schoolers get nervous and suddenly have nothing to say if they don’t write down questions first. It also gives us an opportunity to discuss appropriate questions. No, you probably shouldn’t ask, “How old are you?” or “How much money do you make?” but it is okay to ask “How do writers get paid?”
Then Friday morning dawned. I completed a test call with Holly before school that morning. Thanks to the suggestions of my students, I used my iPad for the Skype visit instead of the webcam on my computer in the back of the room. That way Holly could see more of my students than the back of their heads. The classroom buzzed with noise right up until I hit pressed the connection. When I turned around, I thought my students had been turned in to stone statues while they waited for Holly to answer. Soon enough, she appeared on the screen and introduced herself. She was warm and gracious and everything I had hoped for. She shared her favorite books and described her life as a writer. She answered all my students’ questions. I hope this is an experience they will remember and cherish. I know I will.
Here’s the picture from our visit. I apologize that the image of Holly on the screen is shadowy. Trust me, she is quite lovely.
Now all my other classes are jealous, so I will be looking for ways to connect them with authors, too.
Monday
Objectives:
- Identify elements of setting in your book and explain how they influence the character and plot.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 4 (Monday – parts of speech). In your Writer’s Notebook, begin taking notes on the setting in the book you chose for your book project. At the top of the page, write the date, the title of your book, the author, and “Setting.” Then draw a line down the middle of your paper. Label the left column, “Setting Elements.” In this column you will write down details from the story that describe the place, time, or environment. Choose details that impact the story. Include the author’s last name and page number in parentheses after each detail. Label the right column, “Why it matters.” Beside each detail, describe in your own thoughts how this part of the setting impacts the story. Consider how changing this part of the setting might change the story.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Study prefixes, roots, and suffixes from Groups 1 and 2.
Tuesday
Objectives:
- Answer close reading questions about “The Space Rock.”
Daily Grammar Practice Week 5 (Tuesday – sentence parts). Read “The Space Rock” by Roland Smith in Scope magazine. After reading the story, answer the three close reading questions. Follow the steps in RATS: 1) Restate the question in a complete sentence. 2) Answer the question. 3) Tie it to the text. 4) Support your answer with details from the text. Turn in your answers at the end of class. If you have extra time, read!
Homework: Read a book of your choice for 15-30 minutes. Study prefixes, roots, and suffixes from Groups 1 and 2.
Wednesday
Objectives:
- Identify types of conflict in stories and the elements of plot.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 5 (Wednesday – clauses, sentence type and purpose). What is conflict? Students will brainstorm different conflicts from stories. Then we will group them into the four common types of conflict in literature (character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. nature, character vs. society). Using Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, we will identify the types of conflict and list the important events of the story on a plot diagram.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Study prefixes, roots, and suffixes from Groups 1 and 2.
Thursday
Objectives:
- Identify the elements of plot.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 5 (Thursday – Correct capitalization and punctuation). Using the picture books you read to complete character maps, you will identify the type of conflict and put the important events from the story on a plot diagram.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Study prefixes, roots, and suffixes from Groups 1 and 2.
Friday
Objectives:
- Identify the elements of plot.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 5 (Sentence Diagramming). Set reading goal for the week (See how many pages you can read comfortably in 10 minutes. Then use your math skills to figure out how many pages you could read in 2 hours. This is your reading goal for the week.) Take quiz over Greek prefixes, roots, and suffixes. The quiz will include prefixes, roots, and suffixes over both Groups 1 and 2! Finish your plot diagrams from yesterday. For your book project, you will need to complete a plot diagram for your novel.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice.
Monday
Objectives:
- Choose book for book project.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 4 (Monday – parts of speech). We will finish the character maps we started on Friday. You will also get six new Greek and Latin prefixes, roots, and suffixes to learn. We will brainstorm words for each. You will need to complete the Group 2 vocabulary by drawing a picture, providing two example words and definitions. You can find lots of example words and definitions by clicking here. During the library today, sign up your book choice for the book project with me. For this project, you must choose any genre of fiction.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Work on Group 2 Roots (due Friday). First period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today.
Tuesday
Objectives:
- Complete midterm assessment.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 4 (Tuesday – sentence parts). You will complete our midterm assessment on the computers today. To log in to the school computers, your username is your first and last name and your year of graduation (Example: kaymcgriff19). Your password is your lunch number and year of graduation (Example: 12345619).
Homework: Read a book of your choice for 15-30 minutes. Work on Group 2 Greek roots (due Friday). Second period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today.
Wednesday
Objectives:
- Identify the three elements of setting and explain how setting impacts character and plot.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 4 (Wednesday – clauses, sentence type and purpose). We will discuss the setting of Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. We will complete the setting chart together. Then in your Writer’s Notebook, write a response that explains how the setting impacts the characters, plot, and mood of the book. How would changing the setting change the story?
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Work on Group 2 Greek Roots (due Friday). Finish Writer’s Notebook entry about setting. Third period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today.
Thursday
Objectives:
- Identify the elements of plot.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 4 (Thursday – Correct capitalization and punctuation). After reviewing the elements of plot structures, we will complete a plot diagram for a familiar story (Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson).
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Fourth period will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today.
Friday
Objectives:
- Identify the elements of plot.
Daily Grammar Practice Week 4 (Sentence Diagramming). Set reading goal for the week (See how many pages you can read comfortably in 10 minutes. Then use your math skills to figure out how many pages you could read in 2 hours. This is your reading goal for the week.) Using the same picture book you read to create a character map, complete a plot diagram for the book.
Homework: Read 15-30 minutes in a book of your choice. Sixth and seventh periods will turn in Writer’s Notebooks today. Group 2 Roots due today.
