Monday, August 30, 2010

Today was a Reading day

• The Hot Minute
• Reading Warm-Up (2/4):  "Supermart"
• Vocabulary Set 1, Day 1 :  We overviewed vocabulary protocols and were introduced to Vocabulary Set 1.  We began work on our Vocabulary Set 1 Templates.
• "Putting the 'U' in Unity":  We were introduced to the essential questions of our short story unit and took time to complete drafted responses to these guiding questions in preparation for next class' discussion 

For next class, you should:

Though you have no mandatory homework, you should begin preparing for your Vocabulary Quiz 1 (next Tuesday)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Today was a Writing day

• The Hot Minute
• DOL Set 1: Day 2/5, Sentences 3 and 4
• Grammar:  AIMS/Purposes of writing.  We engaged in full class and partner discussions to identify the various purposes for writing, then class identified the specific forms of writing that satisfy each AIM/Purpose
• Clarity in Details:  We were introduced to details through an interactive maze and writing activity, helping Mr. Hoskins to find his textbooks with clear, consice and specific directions. 

For next class, you should:

You have no mandated homework, but may choose to refine your directions for helping Mr. Hoskins find his textbooks.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Today was a Reading day

• The Hot Minute
• Reading Warm-Up (3/4):  "Learning from History"
• Vocabulary Set 1, Day 2:  We completed our Word Segment Quiz, received our "Guiding Light" study guides, conferenced our vocabulary templates, creatively used our vocbulary in an open response prompt, then peer-evaluated our partner's usage of their vocabulary in these written prompts. 
• "Putting the 'U' in Unity":  We began discussion of our idependent, written reflections of the essential questions questions.

For next class, you should:

Though you have no mandatory homework, you should begin preparing for your Vocabulary Quiz 1 (next Tuesday)

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Today was a Writing day

• The Hot Minute
• DOL Set 1: Day 3/5, Sentences 5 and 6
• Grammar:  AIMS/Purposes of writing.  We reviewed the various purposes for writing, then used four version of "Casey at the Bat" to identify evidence of each of these purposes
• Clarity in Details:  We reflected on last class' maze activity and identified the three qualities of strong writing.  It is: Specific, Focused and Concise.  We completed and competed in a partner activity where we used verbal directions and the qualities of strong writing to replicte an image.

For next class, you should:

You have no new ELA homework this evening.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Today was a Reading day

• The Hot Minute
• Reading Warm-Up (4/4):  "A Community Concern"
• Vocabulary Set 1, Day 3:  We completed our PowerPoint Review Game in preparation for our Vocabulary 1 Quiz next class
• "Putting the 'U' in Unity":  We overviewed the terms "Minority" and "Prejudice" and discuss their connections to our world.  We were introduced to the terms "Discrimination" and "Hate Crimes" and connected these to our understanding of Prejudice, then followed this by looking at crime statistics in Massachusetts  We then completed our first reflective prompt focusing on our risk for becoming a part of this statistic (due be shared and discussed next class).

For next class, you should:

8:1 - Please complete your Prompt One, focusing on the risk of becoming a part of a prejusdice statistic

Tuesday, September 8, 2010

Today was a Writing day

• The Hot Minute
• DOL Set 1: Day 4/5, Sentences 7 and 8
• Grammar:  AIMS/Purposes of writing.  We completed our partner work with th four versions of "Casey at the Bat" then shared our evidence findings in a full group discussion
• Clarity in Details:  We reflected on last class' artistic, partner activity and redefined the thre traits of strong writing.  It is: Specific, Focused and Concise.  We translated this experience into writing by discussing the importance of "showing" not "telling" with our details and began independent paragraphs, modeled after a class developed exemplar.

For next class, you should:

8:1/8:2 - Please complete your one-paragraph response to "Showing NOT Telling" for Monday's class (due to MCAS, we will not reconvene for writing class until that time)