Ms. Hartley

A New Beginning

We'll begin new units this week with a focus on different literature selections with informational text supplementing and broadening our perspective.

Langauge Arts--1st, 2nd, and 3rd Periods

Meet Steve, Bobo, and James to name a few. They are part of Walter Dean Meyers's cast of characters in his novel Monster. We'll integrate grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary as we venture into the story behind what happens when someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time....or was he?

AC Language Arts--7th Period AC Language Arts

Who done it? Shouldn't that be who did it? We'll let that one stand as we embark on a terrifying journey to Indian Island with Dame Agatha Christie. Students will act out Ten Little Indians as they track the byzantine course of events and try to determine...who done it.

Several assessments will be linked to  the Christie unit. Details will follow later this week.

Literary Applications-- 6th Period

Literature circles will be centered on the theme of the holocaust. Students will participate in group novel studies while exploring underlying themes from informational text.  Vocabulary test Thursday.

Language Arts - Update

Today, in class, students finished their rough drafts on an extended journal piece. By the end of class they were to have their paper highlighted and peer edited.  2nd and 3rd - Final drafts are due at the beginning of class.  Be ready to present.  1st and 6th - Final drafts are due at the end of class and presentations will begin Friday - Download Soltice- Can't live without... (Autosaved)

7th period Lit Apps went to the library today to begin research on community garders.  This is in conjunction with the book we just read, Seedfolks.  Students will learn to utilize a search engine to find information, answer questions for research and learn to make a Works Cited page.  The final product will be turned in Tuesday, December 6.

SAT VOCABULARY WORDS

Your first cummulative test will be Thursday, November 17th.  Study!  Download SATvocabulary

October 31st - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Today, students wrote me letters to PERSUADE me to not give them homework tonight.  We have begun our unit on persuasive techniques and writing.  There is no homework tonight.  Have a safe and happy Halloween!

October 11, 2011

1st and 6th - Today, we went to the computer lab for students to type their problem/solution essay. If they were not finished with their rough draft and revisions, they were not able to type. This was homework over the weekend. They need to type their essay tonight as the final typed drafts are due by the end of class tomorrow. We will continue to read The schwa was Here, Thursday and Friday in class. A test over the text will be next Wednesday, October 19. Ask your child about the novel and their essay.

2nd and 3rd - Today, we continued to read To Kill a Mockingbird. Tonight, students need to write sentences using the ten SAT negotiation words in preparation for the vocabulary activity in class tomorrow. To Kill a Mockingbird will be assessed by students participating in Socratic Seminar as well as a problem/solution essay. These will take place the week of October 17th. We are having some great class discussion. Ask your child about the novel.

7th period - Today we continued the novel, Racing the Past. At home, students should continue working on the Response to Literature assignment. It was assigned last Wednesday. It is due by the end of the class this Friday. Ask your students to see the criteria worksheet for details.

 

Language Arts

1st and 6th periods - Today we worked on the final drafts of the "Scar Story."  If you did not finish in class, make sure you finish it tonight.  It should be written neatly in pen and you should highlight the following:  an appositive, a vivid verb and an example of sensory detail.  It is due at the beginning of class tomorrow

2nd and 3rd periods - The final draft of your compare/contrast essay on the Cunningham's and Ewell's is due Monday, Sept. 26th.  You received last week's admirable traits and this week's bad reputation vocabulary words:  Download Slides on Bad Rep Vocab.--connect to TKAM  Make sure that you use a couple of the words you learned in your essay and highlight them.  Also, make sure that you utilize at least one example of figurative language within your paper:  Download Figurative-lang-overview

Tomorrow in class, we will be reading Chapter 5 And 6 - FOR HOMEWORK, READ CHAPTERS 7 and 8.  There will be a quiz over these chapters on Thursday.

Language Arts

1st and 6th - Today we discussed appositives - Download Appositive powerpoint 6 slide .  In the Journal entry that was revised with last weeks five vocab words, we revised even further and added two appositives.  Complete workbook pages 47 and 48 - due tomorrow.

2nd and 3rd - Today we discussed Harper Lee and the background/setting of To Kill a Mockingbird.  We began reading Chapter 1.  Students, please remember to bring your books to class.

Reading

Vocabulary Test tomorrow.  Today in class, we read Chapter 3 in Racing the Past.

Language Arts

All classes - Today students turned in the comprehension work from the short story "The Monkey's Paw."  All students should have completed their journal entry about "A significant object/item."

1st and 6th period completed a journal revision of their choice - Download Journal revision-- Sept. 13 - this is due tomorrow if you did not finish it in class today.  We also went of the Flowers for Algernon and Vocabulary Test.

2nd and 3rd period went over the Flowers for Algernon and vocabulary test.  All students turned in #6-10 SAT words, definitions, sentences and other forms of the word.  Worksheet and assignment was handed out in class on Tuesday.  Test over these 10 words is this Friday, September 16.  We will begin reading To Kill a Mockingbird tomorrow in class.

READING

Today we continued reading Racing the Past.  Also, students received the remainder of the 15 vocab words for this Friday's test. (Slides 16-30) Download 100 Words Every Freshman Should Know 

 Remember, it is in the format of another diary entry written by Valerie Octavia Campbell (VOC).  STUDY and remember to bring your index cards tomorrow.