From Now Until Break...

We have four days to go until we're off for Christmas Break. They're going to be crazy, so hang on to your hats.

Language Arts: You have 4 class days left to get your writing in for teacher edit. Friday will be a shortened class period because of the talent show and our spelling test. Tuesday will be shortened due to the early out. Therefore, plan accordingly! The lab stays open until 4:00 after school. Ask for passes for study hall or for Monday's homeroom. Do what you need to do to make that deadline!

6th & 8th GOAL: Independent Project Presentations will start Friday. We'll get as many done as we can before break. We'll have to finish after the break, I'm sure. Please don't forget to write on the class wiki to discuss the read-aloud books.

7th GOAL: We're all done with Independent Project Presentations. Don't forget to write on the class wiki for the read-aloud book. You should all have your epidemics books (Dr. Jenner & the Speckled Monster/Code Orange, American Plague/Fever, 1793, or Black Potatoes/Nory Ryan's Song) to read now and over the break. You must have your two read by January 8. If you finish early, you may read one or more books of your choice from the other epidemics. This information will be your preview to the upcoming Disease Detective unit for the third quarter in language arts, science, and social studies (and possibly more) classes.

Our annual talent show will be Friday, so look forward to that fun event. I know I am! Also, Thursday is the last day for The Lord's Cupboard food drive, so don't forget your food and/or money!

Deadline Adjustments

Because of our three snow days, we have some adjustments to make for upcoming deadlines. At this time, the quarter will not be lengthened, but if there are any more developments on that front, I'll be sure to post them.

Language Arts: The deadline for teacher edits will be moved from 12/18 to 12/22. Anything you want to count for Writer's Workshop pages must be in by the end of the day on Tuesday, December 22. This will give you a week after Christmas break to take your pieces to the final draft.

6th & 8th grade GOAL: Your independent projects will be due on 12/18 instead of 12/16. This will give you two more class days to work, but we do not have any additional library time. This means you will have to check out the sources you'd like to use to have in my classroom next week before the deadline.

Please ask in class if you have any additional questions!

When the Weather Outside is Frightful...

It makes me think of my favorite Robert Frost poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."

20 NUPoints (Nelson Universe Points) for commenting about the poem or about piece of writing you think about in winter weather.

Booktalks

Students are always asking me to help them find good books to read. Mrs. Lantz and I have started booktalking during GOAL students' library time on Thursdays to recommend good books to students. I hope to update this blog every week with the books that have been shared, but the following is a list of all the books I've shared up to this point:


Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret

The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

Pirates! by Celia Rees

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Singularity by William Sleator

No Talking by Andrew Clements

Cracker! by Cynthia Kadohata

Hattie Big Sky by Korby Larson

The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

Gods, Men, & Monsters from the Greek Myths by Michael Gibson

Mysteries of the Mummy Kids by Kelly Milner Halls

Boston Jane: An Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

Phineas Gage by John Fleischman

Firebirds by Sharyn November

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Monday, Monday

It's going to be a busy week in room 101...

* 7th grade Language Arts classes will be working on Spelling Unit 14 as well as Writer's Workshop. The teacher edit deadline is Friday, December 18. No new pieces for Writer's Workshop will be accepted after that point.

* 6th grade GOAL is hearing Al Capone Shines My Shoes for their class read-aloud. They are discussing it in the class wiki. They are also working on their independent research projects. They will be in the library all of this week, but they should be transitioning from researching to actually working on their projects. Projects are due next Wednesday, December 16.

*7th grade GOAL is hearing The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963 for their class read-aloud. They are discussing it in the class wiki. They are presenting their independent research projects. We saw some great projects last week, and I'm excited to see the rest of them. From there, we will be beginning our Epidemics unit, comparing a fiction and a nonfiction book about an infamous epidemic.

*8th grade GOAL is hearing To Kill a Mockingbird for their class read-aloud. They are discussing it in the class wiki. They are working on independents research projects and will be in the library all of this week, but they should be transitioning from researching to actually working on their projects. Projects are due next Wednesday, December 16.

*In Homeroom, the annual Lord's Cupboard Food Drive starts TOMORROW! Let's all work to make Christmas happier for needy families.

Have a great week, everyone!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog. I've blogged for my own personal use for a few years now, but this is the first time I've officially blogged for school. You'll find information, assignments, links, and other assorted tidbits here, so stay tuned!