Nelson Universe

Weekly Preview: 2/13-2/17, 2012

2012-02-13T11:33:00.004-06:00

Happy Valentine's Week, everyone! Hope you have a little love in your heart as you jump into this week. Here's what's happening in room 101:

6th GOAL: Students are starting their Great Ocean Rescue missions. They're learning about oceanography, and they're learning to defend their positions. They're also learning to compare individual observations to make the best group decision.

7th GOAL: Students are working hard on their projects for National History Day. We'd like all projects to be finished by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 22.

8th GOAL: Students are researching their Image of Greatness. It promises to be a great show on March 22, full of authors, scientists, philosophers, athletes, musicians, and more! We'll be in the library researching all this week. Students have detailed project timelines, and they received two copies of this (one for school and one for home).

7th Language Arts: We've wrapped up Writer's Workshop (students can still get pieces in if needed... late is better than not at all!), and we'll be working on the annual Design-An-Ad contest for the Fairfield Ledger. Ads will be due Friday. Spelling this week focuses on frequently misspelled words... always a challenging list! Pretest corrections and p. 136 (1-20) are due on Wednesday.

Week 22 Spelling Words

laboratory

auxiliary

mischievous

salary

temperature

accidentally

remembrance

veterinarian

disastrous

athletic

separately

laundry

temperament

principally

miniature

partially

hindrance

incidentally

privilege

maintenance

Weekly Preview: 2/6-2/10, 2012

2012-02-06T09:41:00.004-06:00

Where has this year gone? We're at the 3-week reporting period for the 3rd quarter already! Check that portal, and make sure you (or your child) is caught up. Here's what is happening in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL: Students are finishing up with Independent Research Project presentations. We've had many amazing projects so far! When we're done, we'll begin the 6th grade oceanography unit extension activity called The Great Ocean Rescue. Teams of students will be solving mysteries based on video and written information. They'll get to debate their findings, and the class will try to find the correct answer while trying to spend the least amount of imaginary money possible for each mission.

7th GOAL: Students are moving out of the research phase of National History Day competition and into the project phase. We have exhibits, documentaries, websites, and performances, so every project will be branching off into its own territory. We'll have a little over 2 weeks to complete these projects, so some students will need to work at home to finish by the deadline.

8th GOAL: Students are finishing their Independent Research Project presentations this week and moving into the unit called Images of Greatness. Students will choose a person who exemplifies the concept of greatness to them. We'll be researching in the library for two weeks, and we'll be using that new knowledge in many ways in the next 6 weeks. Stay tuned for more details.

7th Language Arts: This is our last week of Writer's Workshop. All final drafts are due on Friday, February 10. To make the deadline, some students will need to be typing and/or conferencing at home with their writing. Spelling Week 21 words are all words that come from names or places. Pretest corrections and book p. 130 (1-20) are due on Wednesday.

Week 21 Spelling Words

tangerine

suede

gardenia

calico

frankfurter

tuxedo

angora

cardigan

damask

cheddar

magnolia

denim

hamburger

cantaloupe

satin

currant

leotard

cashmere

hyacinth

camellia

Weekly Preview: 1/30-2/3, 2012

2012-01-31T14:10:00.003-06:00

58 degrees today? Where is our winter? Get out there and enjoy it, and when you come back in, check out what is happening in room 101 this week:

6th & 8th Grade GOAL: This week, students are presenting their independent research projects. I can't wait to see the fruits of their labors!

7th Grade GOAL: This week is our last for library research for National History Day. Students are encouraged to work outside of school on this project!

7th Grade Language Arts: Students are continuing work with Writer's Workshop this week. Pen pal letters are due for teacher edit this Friday, February 3, and all pieces are due in final draft form on February 10. Spelling for week 20 focuses on the assimilated prefix -ad. Pretest corrections and page 124 (1-20) are due on Wednesday. The posttest will be on Friday.

Week 20 Spelling Words

application

asset

affirm

according

attain

applaud

assurance

account

assortment

affix

appetite

attempt

accustomed

approval

attire

assemble

appliance

afford

assert

attentive

Weekly Preview: 1/23-1/27, 2012

2012-01-25T11:39:00.005-06:00

Sickly slacker teacher apologizes for the lateness of this weekly preview. I blame the pneumonia! Sorry for the delay. Here's what's happening in room 101 this week:

6th & 8th GOAL: Students are working on their projects that will show all the fantastic knowledge they've gained about their independent research topics. We hope to start presenting on Monday, January 30.

7th GOAL: Students are beginning their History Day research. We have the library for 2 weeks, so we have to use every second we have to get that research done. Students, of course, can work outside of class. I know that their families will be supportive and helpful on our learning adventure.

7th Language Arts: Students are working hard on Writer's Workshop pieces. Because of computer lab issues, I'm extending the deadlines a bit. Pieces will now be due for teacher edit on 1/27. Pen pal letters are due on 2/3. All final drafts of every piece will be due on 2/10. Hopefully these accommodations will help the students meet the deadlines with a little less panic. Spelling words for week 19 focus on plural nouns, and book page 118 will be due Wednesday along with pretest corrections.

Week 19 Spelling Words

activities

potatoes

mix-ups

copies

shelves

spoonfuls

mothers-in-law

echoes

knives

opportunities

tomatoes

cupfuls

fathers-in-law

thieves

boundaries

volcanoes

passersby

teaspoonfuls

companies

mosquitoes

Weekly Preview: 1/17-1/20, 2012

2012-01-16T17:34:00.006-06:00

I hope all you students enjoyed your day off on Monday. I got a lot done today during our teacher work day, but there is ALWAYS more left on the "to do" list!

Here's what's happening in room 101 this week:

6th & 8th GOAL: Students will be continuing (and finishing) research for independent research projects. Friday is our last day in the library!

7th GOAL: Students will begin working on projects for National History Day competition in March. Our goal is to have topics finalized this week and tons of research done!

7th Language Arts: Students will have a maintenance test for spelling (weeks 13-17) this week, so there will be no pretest on Tuesday. Spelling book assignment pp. 111 (1-20), 112 (1-20), and 113 (1-20) will be due Wednesday with the actual maintenance test on Friday. For the rest of the week, students will be working on Writer's Workshop. Students are all in various stages of the writing process, working toward the teacher edit deadline of 1/24 and the final draft deadline of 2/3.

Weekly Preview: 1/9-1/13

2012-01-09T09:55:00.004-06:00

Here's what's happening in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL & 8th GOAL: These classes will be in the library this week, becoming experts on the topics they've chosen for their Independent Research Projects. It will be a great unit with a wide range of topics... everything from the stock market to poison dart frogs, from the abortion controversy to constellations... everything from the Eiffel Tower to survival skills. These projects are always a highlight of my year. I love experiencing the results when kids are finding their learning passion!

7th GOAL: Students will be continuing their unit on consumer testing, moving from paper towels to bubble gum. They're designing their own experiments, collecting data, and graphing the results.

7th Language Arts: Students will be working on Writer's Workshop this week. On Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be in the classroom working on rough drafts, revisions, and peer conferencing. On Wednesday and Friday, we'll be in the lab typing. The grading scale for Writer's Workshop is as follows:

4+ final draft pages (must include 3rd pen pal letter) = A

3-4 final draft pages (must include 3rd pen pal letter) = B

1-3 final draft pages (must include 3rd pen pal letter) = C

1 page or less of final draft (must include 3rd pen pal letter) = D

The deadlines for Writer's Workshop are:

January 24: Teacher Edit box closes... no new pieces will be accepted for teacher edit after this date

February 3: Final Draft deadline... any writing that students want to count for their Writer's Workshop grade must be finished by this time

For spelling this week, we'll be focusing on words that come from Spanish. On Monday, we'll take the pretest and work on the book assignment. Pretest corrections and p. 106 (1-20) are due Wednesday. On Thursday, we'll review the words and take the posttest.

Week 17 Spelling Words

avocado

bravado

cabana

cafeteria

canyon

cinch

fiesta

iguana

lariat

mesa

mosquito

mustang

patio

pronto

rodeo

sierra

siesta

stampede

tornado

tortilla

Weekly Preview: 1/3-1/6, 2011

2012-01-03T08:27:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday. I'm rested, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the last half of the school year! Here's what is happening in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL & 8th GOAL: These classes are starting their independent research projects. The theme for this unit is "Find Your Passion!" Each student will have 2 weeks of research on a topic of their choice. Independent projects are the chance for students to become the expert on a topic of their learning passion. They will have 2 full weeks to research, another week to work on an action projects showing what they've learned, and a week to present and hear the research of their classmates.

7th GOAL: Before we begin the intense experience of preparing for National History Day, students will be spending 2 weeks in the world of consumer product testing. This week, we'll develop tests to determine which paper towel is best. Next week, we'll develop tests to determine the best bubble gum.

7th Language Arts: We have begun Writer's Workshop. During the month of January and into part of February, students will be writing a piece of their own choosing, both topic and format. They will also include another pen pal letter in their total volume of writing for Writer's Workshop. Aside from spelling, each week will be filled with the writing process and should be a very productive time. This week's spelling list focuses around words with pronunciations that change depending on the suffix added. Spelling p. 99 was due today. Also, please note that because of typing lab restrictions, we will be taking spelling tests on Thursdays during Writer's Workshop times.

Week 16 Spelling Words

confer

conferred

conference

occur

occurred

occurrence

omit

omitted

omitting

prefer

preferred

preference

infer

inferred

refer

reference

referring

compel

compelled

compelling

Weekly Preview: 12/12-12/16, 2011

2011-12-13T09:15:00.005-06:00

First of all, this week brings many performance & audience opportunities. Auditions for this year's school play, Number the Stars, take place on Monday and Wednesday from 3:40-5:00. The annual Drama Club Christmas party featuring Sing Along Sound of Music takes place on Tuesday after school. And, the always entertaining FMS Talent Show happens on Friday at 1:45. What a fun week!

Here are the happenings in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL: Students are beginning their first mock trial on Monday... the State vs. Hansel and Gretel Schmidt. Depending on when the first trial ends, I hope to fit in at least one more before the holiday break. All their work has led up to actually acting out the trial. Learning fun!

7th GOAL: Students are presenting their literature circle projects this week. We'll also be finishing up our read aloud book, The Cardturner. Before the holiday break next week, I hope to begin brainstorming about possible History Day topics as well as do some jigsawing of epidemics books to prepare the students for the upcoming 7th grade interdisciplinary unit.

8th GOAL: Students are finishing literature circle project presentations this week. We finished our read aloud book, To Kill a Mockingbird, so before the holiday break, we'll be watching the movie with the amazing Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.

7th Language Arts: Final drafts of pen pal letters are due Tuesday. On Wednesday through Friday, we'll be talking about the sentence fluency trait of good writing. We'll do an in-class activity with sentence fluency involving the book Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. Spelling list 15 is full of frequently misspelled words. It will be a challenging list. Pretest corrections and book page 94 are due on Wednesday. We'll take the posttest Friday.

Week 15 Spelling Words

breathe

usually

vacuum

picnicking

bouquet

annually

pursuit

bouillon

actual

league

mimicking

variety

coupon

maneuver

curiosity

peculiar

visually

courtesy

initial

pursue

Weekly Preview 12/5-12/9, 2011

2011-12-06T09:13:00.009-06:00

We're having our first snow of the year today, and it's beautiful. Here's what else is going on in and around room 101 this week:

GOAL Parents: Don't forget Tuesday's Parent Meeting in the FMS Cafetorium at 7:00. Ann Hektoen and I will be giving overviews of our programs, plans for future parent meetings, information on characteristics of gifted learners, and resources for families of gifted learners. There will be other meetings throughout the year, and more information will be presented on our Fairfield TAG website, which is currently under construction.

6th GOAL: Students are preparing for their first mock trial. Parts have been assigned, and we hope to start the trial on Friday. This week will be spent preparing opening statements, questions for witnesses, witness testimony, and evidence.

7th GOAL: Students are working on their literature circle projects which will be presented on Friday. This project will compare and contrast the different culture clashes the students read about in their literature circle books.

8th GOAL: Students will be finishing their literature circle projects and will be presenting on Wednesday. These projects will show what they learned about the Holocaust during their literature circle unit.

7th Language Arts: Students will be working on pen pal letters this week. Typed, conferenced second drafts are due for teacher edit at the end of class on Thursday. Week 14 spelling words focus on the suffixes -able and -ible. Pretest corrections and book page 88 (1-20) are due Wednesday. The posttest will take place on Friday.

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT: The first meeting of the Fairfield Middle School Rabid Readers Book Club will be on Wednesday, December 7, 2011, after school in the band room. Any FMS student in grades 6-8 is welcome to attend. Refreshments will be provided, and we'll be choosing our first book of the year.

Weekly Preview: 11/28-12/2, 2011

2011-11-28T13:17:00.005-06:00

Goodbye, November, and hello, December! Here's what's happening in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL: Students are starting their Mock Trial unit this week. On Monday and Wednesday, they will learn the basics of the American Judicial System. On Thursday and Friday, they'll be prepping for their first trial. Mock Trial is always a hit with GOAL students, so this should be a fun few weeks!

7th GOAL: Students are finishing their last week of literature circles. Their final discussion will be on Friday, and they'll start their cumulative projects next week.

8th GOAL: Students will have their last literature circle discussion on Monday, and the rest of the week will be spent working on their cumulative projects. There is room for a lot of creativity on these projects. Already in the works, we have a news broadcast, an iMovie, and a song parody. These projects take the place of a unit test and will show what students learned during their study of Holocaust literature.

7th Language Arts: Students are finishing up RAFT stories. We'll have a group edit on Tuesday in the lab, and final drafts of RAFT stories are due on Wednesday. If students get done early, they should start working on their 2nd pen pal letter of the year. Rough drafts are due Friday. Week 13 spelling is centered around the suffix -ly. Pretest corrections and page 82 (1-20) are due Wednesday.

Week 13 Spelling Words

absolutely

briefly

vague

fortunately

urgent

particular

instantly

necessarily

deliberate

particularly

immediately

urgently

accurately

deliberately

presently

readily

approximately

vaguely

positively

absolute

Weekly Preview: 11/21-11/22, 2011

2011-11-21T11:27:00.004-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! It's a short week here at FMS, and then we'll all have some time off with friends and family. There are so many things for which to be thankful!

6th GOAL: 6th graders finished their read aloud book on Monday and are completing an activity to go along with it. Next week, we'll get started with our popular Mock Trial unit.

7th & 8th GOAL: Literature circles are still going strong. 8th graders will have their last discussion on Monday, November 28, and 7th grader will have their last discussion on Friday, December 2.

7th Language Arts: No spelling this week. RAFT stories are due for teacher edit before student leave on Tuesday, November 22. Final drafts are due Wednesday, November 30.

6th Grade GOAL Models & Design Unit

2011-11-16T16:07:00.004-06:00

6th grade GOAL classes have been putting their engineering skills to the test with their Models and Design unit. Students began by exploring the concept of a black box in science... a system that we cannot see inside, so we have to theorize about how it works. They made conceptual models and physical models of different black boxes to try to figure out the systems in each.

Students then took the idea of building a physical model to create a rubber band-powered car. Groups had to plan how their system would work and build a working model. Cars will enter a competition for distance as the final activity of the unit.

Weekly Preview: 11/14-11/18, 2011

2011-11-14T12:59:00.006-06:00

Happy American Education Week! We are celebrating at Fairfield Middle School in the following ways:

Monday = Student Appreciation Day! Staff will wear school shirts; treats in homeroom for our Magnificent & Most appreciated students

Tuesday = Parent Appreciation Day! Staff will contact a parent to thank them for helping on a regular basis or for attending conferences. Students will write thank you notes in homeroom to an adult who has been instrumental in their education.

Wednesday = Support Staff Day - Our building will thank our support staff by providing a special luncheon for them.

Thursday = Educator for a Day - Staff will trade classes with a colleague or have a guest speaker.

Friday = Sub Day - We will thank our substitutes! Staff will also wear college alma mater shirts and talk about the importance of higher education &/or why we went into education.

As for regular weekly business, here is what's happening in room 1o1 this week:

6th GOAL: Students are finishing the Models and Designs unit by building rubber band-powered cars. We'll have our distance competition on Thursday and our unit wrap-up on Friday.

7th & 8th GOAL: Students are working hard on their literature circles, discussing and reading every day. 7th graders are reading books under the Culture Clash theme. 8th graders are reading books under the Holocaust theme.

7th Language Arts: This is a maintenance test week in spelling, so there is no pretest. On Friday, students will be tested over the words from weeks 7-11. See past Weekly Previews for those lists. To practice, spelling book pages 75 (1-20), 76 (1-20), and 77 (1-10) are due Wednesday. We will be starting work on the Voice trait of writing this week. RAFT stories will be assigned with rough drafts due by the end of class on Thursday. Stories will be due for teacher edit (revised, typed, 2 peer conferences, & fixed) by the end of the day on Tuesday, November 22.

Weekly Preview: 11/7-11/11, 2011

2011-11-07T10:00:00.005-06:00

Here at FMS, we've all enjoyed a three-day weekend. I hope yours was as restful and rejuvenating as mine was! Here is what we will be doing this week in room 101:

Tuesday morning before school is the last time this year's Book Fair will be open. There are tons of great books this time... I know. I spent WAY too much money for my class library!

6th GOAL: This class is finishing up their conceptual models of the Humdinger. On Wednesday, they'll actually see inside the Humdinger, and they'll be able to compare their models to the real thing. From there, we'll move on to rubber band cars as the last activity in the models & design unit.

7th GOAL: On Monday, I'll be booktalking books for the upcoming literature circles around the theme of Culture Clash. Students will also be presenting their campaign posters from the Big Science activity that finished up last week. Literature circles will start on Wednesday, and this will be the only time during the year that students will have a daily assignment.

8th GOAL: Literature circles are continuing this week with books centered around the theme of the Holocaust. Remember, this is a daily assignment!

7th Language Arts: On Monday, students will work on Week 11 spelling. Pretest corrections and p. 70 (1-20) are due on Wednesday. For the remainder of the week, we'll be discussing the trait of word choice in writing. We'll have some in-class activities related to word choice. By the end of the week, we'll be discussing the trait of voice in writing, and that will lead to our upcoming RAFT writing assignment next week. Stay tuned for details.

Week 11 Spelling Words

wrestle

scenic

guarantee

descendant

knoll

align

spaghetti

herb

sought

honesty

schedule

thoroughly

gnarled

hustle

descend

scenery

exhibition

resign

gauge

jostle

Weekly Preview: 10/31-11/3, 2011

2011-11-01T10:13:00.003-05:00

Welcome, November! It's going to be a crazy, short week here at FMS. Don't forget Parent/Teacher Conferences Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 4:00-7:30. If you want to see all the teachers at once in the Commons, come on Tuesday. If you'd like to go to each teacher's individual classroom, come on Thursday. And, don't forget, there's no school on Friday!

Here's the scoop for this week in room 101:

6th GOAL: We're looking at the contraption called the Humdinger. We're figuring out this black box and making our own physical models to recreate our own Humdingers.

7th GOAL: We're finishing up our Big Science activity by narrowing our class's choices (debating and arguing and coming up with a consensus is hard work!). Then, we'll be making campaign posters for our personal choice. Next week, we'll start literature circles.

8th GOAL: We're starting literature circles this week. Our theme is the Holocaust, and this is the only time in GOAL when we will have a daily assignment. Groups are decided based on book choices, and each group will decide how much they will read for the next day.

7th Language Arts: Final drafts of our Grown-Up Rules stories are due Friday. Some students will need to work outside of class to get this completed on time, whether it's at home, in study hall, or before/after school. With shortened periods this week, our typing time in the lab is limited. Spelling p. 63 is due on Wednesday along with pretest corrections. The posttest will be on Thursday this week due to no school on Friday.

Week 10 Spelling List

demonstration

concentrate

issuing

believable

excuse

communication

comparable

endure

appreciation

ignorance

concentrating

examination

likable

concentration

excusable

receiving

organization

endurance

celebration

achieving

Weekly Re/Preview: 10/17-10/28, 2011

2011-10-21T10:49:00.004-05:00

I got out of the blogging routine last week when I was attending the Iowa Talented & Gifted Association's annual state conference in Des Moines on Monday and Tuesday, so I'll recap what happened in class last week AND preview what's to come in the week ahead. Hang on for the wild ride!

Remember that Wednesday is the last day of the quarter. My students need to have all work in by that day to be counted for this quarter's grades.

LAST WEEK'S REVIEW:

6th GOAL: The class continued its exploration with black boxes, conceptual models, and coming to consensus decisions.

7th GOAL: The classes looked into past government-funded science programs like NASA and the Manhattan Project.

8th GOAL: The classes continued reading the play of The Diary of Anne Frank as the introduction to their Holocaust literature circle unit. The entire 8th grade got the opportunity to go to the high school on Friday afternoon to see portions of the Fairfield High School Drama production of the same play. If anyone is interested in seeing the play in its entirety, they can see it on October 28, 29, 30, or November 8. It should be a great show.

Language Arts: Classes worked on finishing their pen pal letters and being introduced to the Ideas trait of writing. Week 8 spelling words included: encouragement, idleness, canoe, manage, forgiveness, acreage, outrageous, management, forgive, canoeing, inventiveness, encourage, acre, commencement, advantageous, commence, fierceness, amazement, awareness, and announcement.

THIS WEEK'S PREVIEW:

6th GOAL: Students are continuing with their Models & Designs unit. This week, they're designing conceptual models of their own black boxes in science. These are creative and entertaining to see! They'll be trying to figure out and recreate the Humdinger invention later in the week.

7th GOAL: Students are still working on their Minds-On Science: For the Sake of the Nation. This week, they'll be looking into biogenetics and its role in society.

8th GOAL: Students will be finishing up reading The Diary of Anne Frank, and then they'll start their literature circle unit on Holocaust books.

7th Language Arts: For the writing assignment to go along with the Ideas trait of writing, students heard the book The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups. They are now creating their own secret rule. Rough drafts are due Tuesday, teacher edit drafts are due Friday, and final drafts are due next Thursday, November 3. Week 9 spelling words center around the suffixes -tion and -ation. Pretest corrections and page 58 (1-20) are due on Wednesday.

Week 9 Spelling Words

recognize

recognition

decoration

decorate

combine

combination

determination

determine

graduation

graduate

hesitate

hesitation

education

educate

compete

competition

eliminate

elimination

admiration

admire

Weekly Preview: 10/10-10/14, 2011

2011-10-10T10:47:00.007-05:00

Here is what's happening in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL: We'll be finishing up our comics unit on Monday with final sharing, and then after library day on Tuesday, we'll be starting our Models and Design unit. We use the Foss kit for Models & Designs, and it's always a great way for kids to get hands on experience with engineering skills. This week we'll be exploring the concept of a black box and how it relates to science.

7th GOAL: We'll be finishing up our comics unit on Monday with final sharing, and then after library day on Tuesday, we'll be starting our unit called Big Science: For the Sake of the Nation. This unit centers around government funded science projects. Students will use video and pamphlet information to debate what the next government funded big science project should be.

8th GOAL: We'll be finishing up our comics unit on Monday with final sharing, and then after library day on Tuesday, we'll be starting our Holocaust literature circle unit. We'll begin by reading the play The Diary of Anne Frank this week. Next week, we'll begin reading and discussing our literature circle books.

7th Language Arts: Pen pal letters are due Wednesday for teacher edit. 2 peer conferences are required before that point, and envelopes must be included. Final drafts are due by Monday at the latest. Spelling Week 7 pretest will be Monday. This week's lesson focuses in different affixes. Pretest corrections and book page 46 (1-20) are due Wednesday. Posttest will be Friday.

Week 7 Words

fearlessness

requirement

extremely

reconsider

thoughtfulness

inability

disappointment

unexpected

surname

alphabetical

reappearance

surprisingly

agreeable

regardless

unemotional

adventuresome

thoughtlessness

underestimate

improvement

emotional

Class Act Comics Conference

2011-10-07T10:20:00.005-05:00

Wednesday, October 5, 2011, 25 FMS students in grades 6-8 had the opportunity to attend the Class Act Comics Conference at the University of Iowa. They met and heard from 3 published graphic novelists and comics and had a chance to see the University of Iowa Museum of Art's special exhibit called Graphic Language: The Art and Literature of Comics which will be open to the public until December 11. Click here for more information on the exhibit and accompanying activities.

Students were encouraged to draw throughout the day, and many received autographs from the authors and artists they met. It was a "once in a lifetime" experience!

James Sturm talks about his start in comics and his current work including The Golem's Mighty Swing and Market Day.

Students ready to hear from Jessica Abel

Jessica Abel, whose work incudes Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, talks about the process she goes through when creating a panel of a comic.

John Porcellino, creator of King Cat, talks about self-publishing and making comics out of everyday life events.

What a great group of kids! We enjoyed lunch at City Park in Iowa City before heading back to Fairfield

Weekly Preview: 10/3-10/7, 2011

2011-10-03T08:57:00.004-05:00

Happy October! Here's the scoop on what's happening this week in room 101:

6th, 7th, 8th GOAL: We're finishing up our comics, cartoons, & graphic novels unit this week. Final drafts of comics are due Tuesday. On Wednesday, 25 students will be attending a comics conference in Iowa City, and we'll have our final sharing on Friday. On Wednesday and Thursday, students will be getting outside for some GPS activities since we'll have several gone. I want as many here as possible to see the finished comics on Friday.

7th Language Arts: This is a Maintenance Test week for spelling, so there will be no pretest this week. Friday's test will be over words from weeks 1-5 (see past weekly previews for the lists). Spelling pages 39 (1-20), 40 (1-20), and 41 (1-10) are due on Wednesday. On Tuesday, we'll begin our first pen pal letter. I believe this is the 39th year for the 7th grade pen pal program, and our community volunteers look forward to hearing from their pen pals. This activity teaches letter writing and communication for our students, and it gets the community involved in our school! Rough drafts of the letters will be due on Thursday, and we'll begin typing that day as well. Letters will be due next Tuesday for teacher edit, with final drafts due next Friday.

More of the Windstream Visit

2011-09-28T17:33:00.001-05:00

Documentation of our exciting events of last week!

Fairfield Middle School receives $1000 award from Windstream! from SchoolsWIN on Vimeo.

Weekly Preview: 9/26-9/30, 2011

2011-09-26T07:49:00.004-05:00

Happy Homecoming Week! Fairfield Middle School is getting into the spirit of the week with lots of different celebrations. Don't forget dress-up days: Cowboy/Camo Day (Monday), Clash Day (Tuesday), Retro Day (Wednesday), Hat Day (Thursday), and Orange/Black Day (Friday). We'll end the week with a big pep assembly to get pumped up for the high school football game that night. Go Trojans!

Aside from Homecoming activities, here's more of what will be going on in room 101 this week:

6th, 7th, & 8th grade GOAL: Monday, students will finish their jam comics and their panel lotteries. Tuesday is Library Day. From Wednesday through Friday, students will work with comic activities that tie with the book The Arrival by Shaun Tan, writing captions, showing passage of time in comics, and an activity called Sum of Its Parts.

7th Language Arts: Final drafts of "If I Were Mayor" essays are due Monday. We'll also take the pretest for spelling unit 4 on Monday. Pretest corrections and book p. 34 (1-20) are due Wednesday. For the rest of the week, we'll dive into the Ideas trait of writing which will culminate in a piece of writing that ties in with the book The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups. More details to come on that assignment.

Week 5 Spelling Words

challenge

embarrass

apparent

exaggerate

communicate

accompany

unnecessary

surrender

impression

allegiance

immense

accomplish

procession

interrupt

equipped

assess

warrant

possibility

alliance

professional

Another Picture of the Winning Moment!

2011-09-23T16:55:00.001-05:00

Today we surprised @kinnick72's 9am language arts class ... on Twitpic

WOW! WHAT A DAY!

2011-09-23T14:44:00.004-05:00

The following explains the fantastic events of today! More media footage to come in the next few days, but you'll get the idea here:

It's not every day a 7-foot dog with green spots is seen outside of a terrible nightmare, but Friday in Tena Nelson's classroom at Fairfield Middle School, a 7-foot dog with green spots named Click made some dreams come true.

After receiving an e-mail earlier in the year forwarded to her from Principal Laura Atwood, Tena entered her class in a contest sponsored by Windstream Communications. Windstream provides DSL internet, phone service, and digital television to its customers, and their contest, called Windstream Connects: SchoolsWIN, was created to give back to schools and communities across the nation.

Applicants were asked to join through Facebook and/or Twitter. They were asked what they would use $1000 for in their classrooms and what kind of challenge they would have for Click the Dog if their school was chosen. Miss Nelson wrote, "Budget cuts are killing our students' access to technology! I'd love to have 2 iPads to share to allow students to skype with authors, create online presentations, and to write their own blogs... and, that's just the beginning! I want to help create 21st century citizens, but I need the hardware to do it! Come to Fairfield Middle School in Fairfield, IA! My students have been debating issues in class this week... feel like getting into a heated debate about mandatory dress code, Click?"

Superintendent Art Sathoff and Principal Laura Atwood were notified on Thursday that Fairfield Middle School's entry to the contest had been chosen and that Tena Nelson's classroom would be receiving $1000. On Friday morning, the Windstream Classroom Caravan pulled up outside Fairfield Middle School, and Click the dog, Windstream's loyal mascot, jumped out to greet the practicing FMS Marching Band.

Click and the Windstream crew visited Miss Nelson's classroom and presented her with a check for $1000. Since Click neither speaks nor wears clothes over his fur, the debate about dress code was dropped and replaced with an impromptu dance celebration. Miss Nelson hopes to use the money to purchase as least one, hopefully two, iPads for classroom use on a variety of projects. Before leaving the building, the Windstream group met many students throughout FMS and informed them that they were now eligible for a 25,000 prize if they document a community service project and upload the video to their website. Footage of Friday's events can be seen soon on the Windstream website at www.schoolswin.windstream.com/caravan.

7th Grade Trip to Camp Dodge

2011-09-21T17:14:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, our entire 7th grade class took a trip to Camp Dodge in Des Moines. Watch the video to see their adventures! Thanks to the great Ms. Mangler for putting this movie together!

Weekly Preview 9/19-9/23, 2011

2011-09-19T10:40:00.004-05:00

It was a great weekend to be a Hawkeye fan... hope your teams did well too! Here's what's happening this week in room 101:

6th, 7th, 8th grade GOAL: We're continuing our comics, cartoons, & graphic novels unit. Monday we'll be sharing our pictureless comics. Tuesday is library day, but we'll pick up again on Wednesday to work on a panel lottery class comic. As time allows this week, we'll work on jam comics and a tie-in to the book The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Out of these comics, students will be choosing one that they wish to take to the final draft stage as a representation of what they learned in this unit. Students attending the comics conference in Iowa City on October 5 (signup will be available on Tuesday; there are 25 spots) will be taking that final draft to swap, in addition to it being for their unit reflection. 6th grade journal letters are due Wednesday, 7th grade journal letters are due Thursday, and 8th grade journal letters are due Friday.

7th Language Arts: Since the entire 7th grade was gone last Friday, on Monday we'll take last week's posttest AND this week's pretest. Pretest corrections and book p. 28 are due Wednesday. "If I Were Mayor" essays are due Wednesday for teacher edit. Final drafts will be due next Monday.

Week 4 Spelling Words

keyboard

self-esteem

dining room

classmate

far-fetched

granddaughter

briefcase

self-taught

four-fifths

word processing

newsstand

quick-witted

pencil sharpener

well-known

thirteen-year-olds

textbook

self-employed

study hall

brother-in-law

three-fourths

How I Look at Teaching Reading

2011-09-18T12:22:00.004-05:00

This article from The New York Times discusses my philosophy of teaching reading... let the students choose the books! The first book I ever hated in my life was a whole class novel. Those weeks of being forced to read The Hobbit were pure torture, and they affected how I look at the fantasy genre to this day. I hope my students will become lifelong readers, and I believe independent book choice is the way to do that.

Thanks, Book Whisperer, for posting this article on Facebook tonight, so I could share it with all of you!

She Knows Me Too Well!

2011-09-16T13:22:00.002-05:00

This was on the board today in Mrs. Kaska's room. I made her Daily "Pun"ishment! I guess it sometimes pays to be a Drama Queen! :)

GREAT Opportunity!

2011-09-15T11:34:00.004-05:00

I just received word about this FREE event this Sunday in Coralville for elementary & middle school students. Check it out... it looks great for kids into science, math, and engineering!

Here's the website: http://iexplorestem.org/.

Here's the information:

On Sept. 18, elementary and middle school students and their families will simulate a Hazmat decontamination, play "Blood, Guts, and Healing" on a wii console, operate robotics, and take part in many other hand-on activities at Iowa's first iExploreSTEM.

Held at the State Hygienic Laboratory in Coralville from 1 to 5 p.m. , iExploreSTEM is a free festival created to encourage student involvement in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

"Probably every economic assessment written in the last 50 years concludes that growth comes from innovation, and that most innovation derives from STEM-related advances," said Gina Schatteman, Ph.D., Director of iExploreSTEM and associate professor of Integrative Physiology at the University of Iowa.

The festival is a collaborative brainchild of Schatteman and leaders at the Hygienic Lab and Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP). The idea grew out of the first USA Science and Engineering Festival held in 2010 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. IMSEP was a participant at that event and will co-sponsor iExploreSTEM with the Hygienic Laboratory.

More than 40 iExplore activities are designed to engage students in activities that will encourage them to study STEM subjects and pursue careers in these fields.

"The stagnant performance of U.S. students suggests that we are not creating a new generation of innovators," Schatteman said. "This bodes poorly for economic growth in the US in general and Iowa in particular. Fortunately, we have a strong culture of innovation and a supportive education system, so this course is not irreversible if we act now."

The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that the number of STEM occupations will increase by 17 percent in the next seven years, compared to an increase of 9.8 percent for non-STEM occupations.

Most jobs now require some level of STEM knowledge, according to Schatteman. These include firefighters who need a working knowledge of chemistry for Hazmat duties; farmers who rely on math and economics to decide what to plant and when to sell their crops; and emergency medical technicians who use their knowledge of physiology.

"To be competitive for 21st-century jobs, students must have a strong foundation in STEM," Schatteman said. Unfortunately, once the world leader in STEM education, the U.S. is now in the middle of the pack and falling fast in international rankings. Iowa students used to be the best in the nation, but now rank in the middle by some measures. How will our kids be able to compete for jobs in a global economy?"

More information about iExploreSTEM is available online at iexplorestem.org.

Drama Club

2011-09-13T17:39:00.000-05:00

First Drama Club of the year today... awesome group! This year (because we no longer have week 1 & week 2), Drama Club will meet on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays after school from 3:40-5:00. Grades 6-8 are welcome! Spread the word!

Weekly Preview: 9/12-9/16, 2011

2011-09-11T20:44:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since 9/11. I remember where I was that day... I was running late for professional development at the high school, and I saw the second plane hit right before running out the door. I'd never been so scared for my country in my whole life as I was that day. We must all continue to talk about 9/11... to remember for those who are too young to remember on their own.

And now to what's happening in room 101 this week:

6th, 7th, 8th grade GOAL: We're continuing our exploration of comics, cartoons, and graphic novels this week. We're reading a bunch, and then we're going to do some activities that lead up to us creating our own. This is out of the comfort zone of many students... and their teacher! Click on this link for a great resource that we'll be using extensively for our comics unit. Tuesday is Library Day. 6th grade journal letters are due Wednesday, 7th grade journal letters are due Thursday, and 7th grade journal letters are due Friday.

7th Language Arts: We'll start with spelling. After Monday's pretest, corrections and page 22 (1-22) will be due on Wednesday. For the rest of the week, we'll be working on our "If I Were Mayor" essays. We'll be typing, conferencing, and fixing draft 2, thereby making draft 3! Some students will be ready to hand in draft 3 for teacher edit. Others will need further drafting and correcting because we're all in different places when it comes to learning to write. Essays will be due for teacher edit at the end of the period on Friday.

Week 3 Spelling List

notify

raven

climate

vehicle

alien

idol

trial

basis

creature

motivate

species

notion

prior

reality

noble

idle

trophy

premium

oval

mutual

Weekly Preview: 9/6-9/9, 2011

2011-09-06T09:57:00.009-05:00

I hope you all had a great long Labor Day weekend. We're ready to jump into another week here at FMS!

6th, 7th, & 8th grade GOAL: Tuesday is our first library day, so we'll be refreshing our memories about all the procedures and rules of the library. Then, students will have a chance to check out and read books. Journal letters will be due this week (Wednesday for 6th grade, Thursday for 7th grade, and Friday for 8th grade). They may be written about the read aloud book or about the students' individual reading contract books. On Wednesday, we'll be in the computer lab learning about our class wiki and how to use it. Thursday and Friday, we'll be starting our comics, cartoons, and graphic novels unit.

7th Language Arts: A short week means quicker spelling. We'll take the Week 2 pretest on Tuesday, and the assignment (p. 16, 1-20) will be due on Wednesday. The posttest will be Friday. We'll be working on writing our "If I Were Mayor" essays for the rest of the week. Rough drafts will be due Thursday at the end of class. Friday, we'll go through a group self-revision so we'll be ready to type next week.

Week 2 Spelling Words

ambition

campus

comfort

culprit

dignity

elegant

enclose

enroll

extreme

improve

indicate

mistake

parachute

picnic

property

rustic

support

transmit

wisdom

witness

Weekly Preview: 8/29-9/2

2011-08-29T08:06:00.005-05:00

It's our first full week of school! Here's what classes will be up to in Miss Nelson's room this week:

6th-8th GOAL: Our school library won't be open until next week, but there is still a lot of reading to be done. Students may check out books from my classroom library at any time, and the public library is a great option too, of course! On Monday, we're going over journal letter expectations. Students will write one per week. We also are starting our read aloud books for the year. 6th graders will be hearing Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt, 7th graders will be hearing The Cardturner by Louis Sachar, and 8th graders will be hearing To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. They may journal about the read aloud books or about their independent reading books. Either is fine. We'll also be setting up a class wiki for discussion of the read aloud books, so stay tuned for that!

For the rest of the week, we're going to be thinking on our feet and getting to know each other with some impromptu speeches and some quick class debates.

7th Language Arts: We'll start the week with our first spelling unit. Week 1 words are words from the media. Pretest corrections and p. 10 (1-20) are due on Wednesday. Aside from spelling, we'll be starting the 6+1 Traits of Writing with an introduction and then with getting into the trait of Organization. The writing assignment that accompanies this trait will be an essay called, "If I Were Mayor..." More information on that to come.

Week 1 Spelling Words

newsroom

edition

sportscaster

media

headline

copy

editorial

newscast

caption

commentary

newsprint

verify

deliver

footage

masthead

exclusive

update

coverage

newsreel

dateline

Don't forget about picture day on Tuesday, and have a great week!

Class Calendar

2011-08-23T11:15:00.005-05:00

I'm trying the embedding tool on Google Calendars. I think this can be a great way to see deadlines, etc. I'll plan on posting it every week as part of my Weekly Preview. Can't wait to see all my students tomorrow!!!

Getting Ready!

2011-08-16T14:09:00.003-05:00

School is just around the corner! If you want to help in Miss Nelson's classroom, come to school on Wednesday (August 17) at 9:00 a.m. You can help decide how the classroom will look this year. Stay and work as long as you want. Miss Nelson will buy pizza for lunch!

7:25 pm adjustment: Because the janitors will be waxing the floors tomorrow, we can only get in the classroom in the morning. I'll be there by 8:00 for anyone who wants to come early, and we'll plan on being done by 11:30. We'll still have pizza, but we'll have it picnic style at O.B. Nelson Park!

Summer Reading

2011-05-31T20:27:00.003-05:00

GOAL students know that I expect them to read over the summer, but I recently found out about a fun way to document that reading. Thanks to the Free Technology for Teachers blog, I discovered a program sponsored by Scholastic this summer called the Scholastic Summer Challenge. It looks like a great resource for both students and parents alike. I'll be documenting my own reading on Goodreads.com. I hope to learn enough about that site this summer to incorporate it into my routine for students to document their own reading in the fall.

Here is a great link with summer reading ideas for gifted kids. It includes some great reading lists!

Happy reading, everyone!

Hannibal, 2011

2011-05-28T15:40:00.003-05:00

We had a great trip to Hannibal last week with the 7th grade GOAL class... enjoy the highlights on this PhotoPeach!

Hannibal, 2011 on PhotoPeach

7th GOAL Animated Movies

2011-05-26T12:25:00.003-05:00

Here are the links to all the 7th grade GOAL stop-motion animated movies from this quarter. We're excited to premiere them tonight on the big screen as part of our GOAL movie night fundraiser!

Katherine, Zach, Jacob S., Price

Lindsey, Dakota, Suzannah

Paige, Jacob K., Amber, Katie

Oba, Madelyn, Dain, Kiera

Nathan, Logan, Hannah

Brennan, Shea, Loreena

Weekly Preview: 5/23-5/27

2011-05-23T14:30:00.002-05:00

Our last full week. Where did this year go???

6th GOAL: Students will be finishing their GPS scavenger hunts this week. After that, they will assessing the scavenger hunts, writing thank-you notes for the chaperones who went on our field trip to Nauvoo, completing reading contract self-evalutations, and participating in a class quiz bowl.

7th GOAL: Students will be taking their field trip to Hannibal, MO, on Tuesday as part of their Tom Sawyer unit. On Friday, students who made their assignment journal goals will reap the reward at Coral Ridge Mall for the day. So, in between, GOAL students this week are going to be continuing to hear Tom Sawyer, getting animated movies ready for our movie night Thursday, completing reading contract self-evaluations, competing in a class quiz bowl, and writing thank-you notes for chaperones.

8th GOAL: Students are frantically finishing their documentaries, so they're ready to present on Thursday night. They'll also be writing thank-you notes for trip chaperones, completing reading contract self-evaluations, assessing the documentaries (their own and their classmates'), watching their elementary Challenge Egg-Drop video, and competing in a class quiz bowl.

7th Language Arts: No spelling this week... our books are handed in for the year! This week, students will be finishing pen pal letters that were due last Friday, choosing their favorite piece of writing for their permanent writing folders, assessing the fractured fairy tale Zoobursts of their friends, having a spelling bee, and participating in a pass-write activity where students build on the ideas of others.

Whew! It's a lot to pack in, but we can do it. We have to make every minute count!

Weekly Preview: 5/16-5/20

2011-05-16T09:13:00.005-05:00

6th GOAL: On Monday and Wednesday (Tuesday is Library Day), students will be setting up their GPS scavenger hunts. On Thursday and Friday, another group from their class will be completing the scavenger hunt. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

7th GOAL: Students will be assessing animated movies on Monday. For the rest of this week, we'll be finishing up Tom Sawyer in preparation for our trip to Hannibal next week. We'll also be touching on GPS skills as a mini-unit.

8th GOAL: This week, students will be working hard to finish up their documentary films. The movies will premiere (along with the 7th grade animated movies) on Thursday, May 26, our GOAL movie night.

The 8th grade GOAL class had a great time on their overnight trip to Des Moines last week. They visited the Des Moines Art Center, the State Historical Museum of Iowa, Drake University campus with a tour from an FHS alumni, and the Science Center of Iowa where they saw the Hubbell IMAX movie and saw the new Body Worlds exhibit. Click the photopeach below to see some highlights!

8th Grade GOAL to Des Moines on PhotoPeach

7th Language Arts: Students will be finishing up their last pen pal letters this week. Letters are due Tuesday for teacher edit, and final drafts are due Friday. Week 32 spelling words focus on words ending with -tial, -cial, -cious, and -tious. Page 195 and pretest corrections are due Wednesday.

Week 32 Words

conscientious

crucial

substantial

spacious

repetitious

spatial

confidential

ferocious

residential

financial

gracious

impartial

vicious

facial

influential

ambitious

glacial

suspicious

potential

superficial

Science Fiction Booktalks

2011-05-10T14:09:00.003-05:00

Here are the science fiction titles I booktalked today for library day. Enjoy!

Larklight by Philip Reeve

Starcross by Philip Reeve

Mothstorm by Philip Reeve

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

The Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Weekly Preview: 5/9-5/13

2011-05-10T08:00:00.006-05:00

6th GOAL: Monday was our big trip to Nauvoo... what a great time... click the play button on the Photopeach movie below to see the highlights! For the rest of the week, students will be planning their GPS Scavenger Hunts. We hope to be hunting next Thursday and Friday.

Nauvoo, 2011 on PhotoPeach

7th GOAL: Students will be finishing their animated movies this week... editing, adding music, uploading to YouTube and SchoolTube... getting them ready to present on our GOAL movie night on May 26!

8th GOAL: Students will be working on their documentaries... getting pictures uploaded and in order, writing storyboards, and finding music. Next week, they'll be recording and getting everything in order. The documentaries will be presented on the GOAL movie night on May 26. This class leaves after school Thursday for their big Images of Greatness trip to Des Moines.

7th Language Arts: Students will be starting their final pen pal letters of the year. Rough drafts are due this Thursday. Spelling for week 31 has to do with adding -ly to words ending in "ic." Pretest corrections and p. 190 are due on Wednesday.

Week 31 Words:

specific

classically

mechanical

scientific

artistically

dynamic

historical

drastically

heroic

scientifically

artistic

mechanically

classic

historically

economic

heroically

dynamically

drastic

specifically

economically

Booktalks: Historical Fiction

2011-05-03T09:56:00.006-05:00

GOAL students are getting close to finishing their reading contracts for the year, but some are having trouble finishing their historical fiction genre requirement. I found a website with a lot of great suggestions... click here to see all the young adult historical fiction titles they've compiled on this site.

From that list specific books that I quickly pulled from our library this morning include:

Indio by Sherry Garland

A Bone from a Dry Sea by Peter Dickinson

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (and its sequels Skylark and Caleb's Story)

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman

The Legend of Jimmy Spoon by Kristiana Gregory

The Stowaway by Kristiana Gregory

I know our Fairfield Middle School library has a lot more from the list too, so dig in. Enjoy some historical fiction today!

Weekly Preview: 5/2-5/6

2011-05-03T08:42:00.002-05:00

6th GOAL: We're continuing our work w/ GPS & Geocaching. Monday, students jigsawed articles about how GPS receivers work, the history and applications of GPS, and the basics of Geocaching. Later in the week, they'll be using GPS technology to map different locations on school grounds and to build their own scavenger hunt.

7th GOAL: We're still working on our animated movies. We hope to be done filming this week so we can move into adding sound and finishing the movies next week.

8th GOAL: We're continuing work with documentary filmmaking. This week's focus is writing the script for our films and getting our interview footage uploaded to iMovie.

7th Language Arts: No spelling this week. We're finishing up our fractured fairy tale Zoobursts (due Friday) and getting ready for the big Pen Pal Party on Friday morning where we finally get to meet our pen pals face-to-face!

Happy Birthday, Harper Lee!

2011-04-28T12:09:00.004-05:00

This is such a great post about how, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shaped the meaning of these words:

integrity

empathy

conscience

respect

courage

Happy birthday, Harper Lee!

Fractured Fairy Tales: Oldies but Goodies

2011-04-25T14:57:00.002-05:00

On Friday, I showed 2 fractured fairy tales from when I was growing up. I remember watching these on Saturday mornings! You can see in these examples, a familiar story has been changed. Red Riding Hood has become a very annoying girl that even the wolf wants to get rid of. The three little pigs now are jazz musicians. Maybe these examples will inspire your own fractured fairy tale for our assignment due on Monday, May 9, in language arts class.

Weekly Preview: 4/25-4/29

2011-04-25T08:57:00.003-05:00

I can't believe this is the last week of April... the 4th quarter is flying by! Here's what's happening in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL: We'll be finishing up Westward Expansion projects and then starting our geocaching unit. Our field trip to Nauvoo is coming up on Monday, May 9. Parent chaperones are welcome, so let me know if you'd like to attend!

7th GOAL: We're still animating like crazy. I hope the picture-taking stage will be done this week, and then next week, the kids can edit and finalize their movies. Our field trip to Hannibal is coming up on May 24. Parent chaperones are welcome, so let me know if you'd like to attend!

8th GOAL: We're working on our documentary films. This week, interviews will be filmed, and pictures will be found. Facts are being organized, and then scripts will be written. It's going to be a busy week! Our field trip to Des Moines is coming up on Thursday, May 12. We need a chaperone for every hotel room, since it's an overnight trip. I still need one female chaperone and one male chaperone, so please let me know if you can attend. We will leave right after school on Thursday, and we'll return between 6 & 7 on Friday night.

7th Langage Arts: We're working on our folklore writing projects. Students are "fracturing" a fairy tale, tall tall, myth, or legend. They'll be putting their final projects on the Web 2.0 tool called Zooburst. We'll be in the Mac lab this week and next week to complete these projects. For spelling, it's a maintenance test week, so there is no pretest on Monday. Pages 183 (1-20), 184 (1-20), and 185 (1-20) are due Wednesday, and we'll take the maintenance test (covering weeks 25-29) on Friday.

Have a great week!

Weekly Preview 4/18-4/21

2011-04-18T08:40:00.006-05:00

6th GOAL: This week, students will be presenting their Westward Expansion projects to the class. I can't wait to see what they've learned!

7th GOAL: This week, students will be filming their stop-motion animated movies. They've been working hard on sets and storyboards, and they're ready for the real fun to begin!

8th GOAL: This week, students will be working on compiling their research for their documentaries. They'll be setting up and filming interviews, organizing research, and starting to write their storyboards.

7th Language Arts: This week, students will finish finding folklore examples in The Princess Bride. They will then start writing their own fractured fairy tales, using the elements of folklore. Spelling for this week focuses on the Latin forms of miss, manus, fluere, and animus. Pretest corrections and book page 178 (1-20) are due Wednesday. The posttest will be on Thursday this week due to no school on Friday.

Week 29 Spelling

admission

animate

dismiss

emancipate

fluctuate

fluency

fluent

fluorescent

inanimate

influence

intermission

magnanimous

manicure

manipulate

mannerism

manual

missive

remiss

transmission

unanimous

NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ON FRIDAY! ENJOY YOUR THREE-DAY WEEKEND!

Weekly Preview: 4/11-4/15

2011-04-11T08:46:00.004-05:00

6th GOAL: This week, students will be working on their projects for our Westward Expansion unit. We already have a variety of posters, glogs, 3-D models, and photopeaches in the works, just to name a few. We'll start presenting next Monday.

7th GOAL: This week, students will begin filming their stop-motion animated movies. Storyboards are due Monday, we'll have a demonstration of the program on Wednesday, and hopefully, all sets will be constructed so students can start filming on Thursday. At 15 clicks of the camera per second, they have a lot of filming to do to make their one-minute movies.

8th GOAL: This week, students are starting their documentary filmmaking unit. Groups were chosen on Monday, and now the process of choosing topics has begun. Research will be done on each topic, and students must have at least one interview that they will film as part of the movie.

7th Language Arts: Students are in the middle of their folklore unit. This week, we will be finding examples of the elements of folklore in the movie The Princess Bride. We'll also be reviewing for and taking the Parts of Speech quiz again. This week's spelling list focuses on words from French. Page 172 is due Wednesday along with pretest corrections.

Spelling Week 28 Words

deluxe

carousel

mirage

fiancé

picturesque

masquerade

corsage

fatigue

impasse

chaperone

intrigue

fiancée

boutique

camouflage

expertise

silhouette

résumé

souvenir

menagerie

gourmet

Folklore Exploration

2011-04-07T14:34:00.003-05:00

Because of an assembly this week, some language arts students had one day less to complete the folklore exploration. Since the books cannot be checked out, I wanted to post some links here for more folklore examples if students need them tonight to complete the assignment. The assignment is due Friday.

http://www.americanfolklore.net/sindex.html

http://www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_folktales.html

http://www.rickwalton.com/folktale/folktale.htm

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/japan.html

http://www.folkart.com/folktale/

Catch The Bus! Win An Author Visit!

2011-04-07T13:42:00.000-05:00

Catch The Bus! Win An Author Visit!

I hope we win... this would be awesome! You can click to enter as well... the more entries we get, the better!

Weekly Preview: 4/4-4/8

2011-04-04T08:34:00.003-05:00

Have you been watching the live feed of the Decorah eagles' nest? 2 eggs hatched over the weekend... 1 left to go!

Live Video streaming by Ustream

6th GOAL: Students will be finishing their research for Westward Expansion projects. They have chosen a variety of interesting topics that have to do with westward expansion and the middle 1800's. We'll start working on the projects next week in class.

7th GOAL: Students will be starting to make their animated movies this week. Groups have been chosen, and students will be brainstorming materials and plot of their movies at the beginning of this week. At the end of the week, they'll be gathering/making materials and finalizing their storyboards.

8th GOAL: Students will be finishing the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, and then they will be starting their unit on documentary film making.

7th Language Arts: Alphabet poems are due Monday, and then students will be starting their unit on folklore. We'll be focusing on folk tales, fairy tales, and tall tales. This week students will be exploring different folklore from around the world. They will also be doing spelling. Page 166 is due Wednesday, along with corrections from their pretests.

Week 27 Spelling Words

adapt

adopt

personnel

personal

stationary

stationery

advise

advice

formally

formerly

complement

compliment

affect

effect

device

devise

conscious

conscience

disinterested

uninterested

Newbery Booktalks!

2011-03-29T11:06:00.003-05:00

Today most of the GOAL classes heard booktalks about three of the Newbery Award winning books for this year. They happen to all be historical fiction, and they happen to all be WONDERFUL!

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

The books above are Newbery Honor books. The following is the Newbery Award winner for this year... drum roll please...

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Check them out today!!!

Weekly Preview: 3/28-4/1

2011-03-28T08:47:00.003-05:00

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you all had a restful and rejuvenating week. Here we go into the 4th quarter at FMS!

6th GOAL: We'll be setting quarter reading goals this week and then getting into our Westward Expansion unit. This will involve research on an aspect of westward expansion in the United States and/or a topic relating to the middle 1800's. The unit will culminate with our class field trip to Nauvoo, IL, later this spring!

7th GOAL: After setting our quarter reading goals, we're starting a couple of things at once this week. First, I'll be starting to read Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer aloud to the class. I'll share a bit each day. In another month or so, we'll be studying more about Mark Twain. The Mark Twain unit will culminate with our class field trip to Hannibal, MO, later this spring, but we're starting Tom Sawyer early to make sure we finish the book before the end of the unit. For the rest of the week, we'll be working on our stop-motion animation unit. This unit is an extension of a Mod Tech module on animation. Students will be working in groups to create an animated movie of about a minute in length.

8th GOAL: We'll first set our quarter reading goals, and then, as promised, we'll be finishing up our To Kill a Mockingbird read aloud by watching a little of the master, Gregory Peck, in action!

7th Language Arts: We will start the week with spelling unit #26 (Greek Forms: gram, chron, phon(e), and scope). Page 160 and pretest corrections will be due on Wednesday. Then, we'll be working on a week-long alphabet poem writing assignment. This assignment will be due next Monday.

Week 26 Spelling Words

phonics

telescope

chronology

diagram

microphone

stethoscope

headphones

chronic

anagram

symphonic

grammatical

synchronize

telephone

periscope

chronicle

megaphone

earphones

microscope

saxophone

History Day Adventure

2011-03-16T17:04:00.006-05:00

The 7th grade GOAL students had a great day at District History Day competition yesterday. They all successfully presented their projects as proud representatives of our school. We even have three projects going on to State History Day in May. Congratulations to all who participated on a job well done!

the whole gang

Lindsey & Katherine accepting their pin for State (group exhibit)

(Suzannah was sick, but she'll be going to State for this project as well)

Oba accepting his pin for State (individual documentary)

Nathan & Logan accepting their pins for State (group documentary)

What Do You Think?

2011-03-16T09:05:00.001-05:00

This new graphic biography is getting a lot of buzz... what do you think about it?

History Day Documentary Links

2011-03-14T20:57:00.005-05:00

We uploaded the 7th grade History Day documentaries to YouTube as a backup plan in case we had technology glitches at the big event. But, now that they're there, everyone can enjoy the hard work of the documentary groups. Enjoy!

Oba's documentary on Child Labor

Logan & Nathan's documentary on the Cuban Missile Crisis

Hannah & Madelyn's documentary on the Scopes Monkey Trial

Jacob's documentary on Genetic Modification

Brennan & Dain's documentary on Dropping the Atomic Bomb

Weekly Preview: 3/14-3/18

2011-03-14T15:05:00.003-05:00

First of all, Happy Pi Day, everyone! :)

It's a crazy week... it's the end of the quarter, it's the week before spring break, it's the week of History Day, and it's the week of Images of Greatness. Hang on to your hats, folks!

6th GOAL: We'll be finishing up our unit on consumption by sharing what we learned in our oral history interviews and then comparing our consumption log data. Remember that consumption logs are due Wednesday!

7th GOAL: Tuesday is History Day! Students need to be at school by 7:45 a.m. to get ready for the big event. The rest of the week will be spent reflecting, assessing, and grading projects.

8th GOAL: Thursday is Images of Greatness! Students will need to be at school by 6:30 p.m. to get in their costumes and to get their display boards and foods ready to go. Images of Greatness begins at 7:00, and the public is invited to attend.

7th Language Arts: We'll be working on Parts of Speech this week by finishing up group presentations, making a Parts of Speech study guide, and then taking the P.O.S. quiz. Spelling p. 154 is due on Wednesday along with pretest corrections.

Week 25 Spelling Words

monopoly

dual

unique

biennial

monotony

duplication

unite

monocle

unify

duo

binoculars

university

monorail

duplex

unison

monotonous

biannual

monotone

universe

monogram

3/8 Booktalks: Iowa Teen Award Nominees

2011-03-08T09:41:00.002-06:00

For today's booktalks, I highlighted some of the nominees for the Iowa Teen Award. If students read at least 2 of the nominees, they'll have the opportunity to vote in the next few weeks for the winner!

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Elephant Run by Roland Smith

Football Genius by Tim Green

Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

Bye Bye Birdie Recap

2011-03-06T19:08:00.003-06:00

Click here for a great Animoto movie recapping the celebration following Bye Bye Birdie!

Weekly Preview: 3/7-3/11

2011-03-06T18:42:00.007-06:00

6th GOAL: We're in the middle of our unit on consumption. On Monday, student will be presenting their "stuff" posters, looking into the secret lives of everyday things in our lives. Later in the week, we'll be starting personal consumption logs and looking into the journeys taken by the "stuff" in our lives.

7th GOAL: This is the last week to work on History Day. The competition is next week, and I can safely say WE'RE BEHIND! Be prepared to put in some major time this week to make sure our projects are done and ready for competition!

8th GOAL: This is the last week to work on exhibits for Images of Greatness. Display boards and costumes are due Friday. This week should also be spent memorizing Bio-Riddles. Next week, we'll practice on stage, and then students will present their projects next Thursday night, March 17, at 7:00 in the FMS Cafetorium.

7th Language Arts: We'll start the week by finishing Parts of Speech presentations. We've had some very memorable ones so far. :) When those get finished, we'll move into a writing activity based on the interdisciplinary unit on epidemics that 7th graders are finishing. This is a spelling maintenance test week, so we'll be reviewing and studying words from weeks 19-23. Book pages 147 (1-20), 148 (1-20), and 149 (1-10) are due Wednesday. The maintenance test will be on Friday.

Have a wonderful week!

Images of Greatness Exhibit Examples

2011-03-03T12:04:00.004-06:00

8th graders are working on their exhibits for Images of Greatness. They are due next Friday, and some are having trouble envisioning how to put their information together. To help this process, I've displayed some exhibits from previous years to give students some examples.

Weekly Preview: 2/28-3/4

2011-02-28T14:38:00.005-06:00

6th GOAL: We're starting a new unit on consumption. We'll start by taking a pretest on Monday. For the rest of the week, we'll look deeper into some of our everyday "stuff" to see how it's made and how much is really consumed. The truth is shocking!

7th GOAL: We're working on process papers and annotated bibliographies for National History Day competition. History Day is 2 weeks from Tuesday, and we're starting to really feel the pressure!

8th GOAL: We're starting to put together our exhibition trifold displays for Images of Greatness. We'll also be tweaking our papers, timelines, and bio-riddles so they're ready for the big night on March 17!

7th Language Arts: We'll finish up our parts of speech review, and then we'll be working on a writing assignment based on the 7th grade epidemics interdisciplinary unit. Spelling book p. 141 will be due on Wednesday to accompany this week's words.

Week 23 Words

abstract

complicate

persist

attractive

strict

replica

distract

consist

restrict

insistence

duplicate

resist

constrict

detract

resistance

complication

attract

insist

retract

consistent

Plus, don't miss this year's FMS production of Bye Bye Birdie this Thursday and Friday night, March 3 & 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the FMS Cafetorium. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students. Middle School Activity Passes get in free. Come see how hard the students have worked, and be entertained by this rocking musical!

Images of Greatness Timeline Tools

2011-02-24T11:59:00.004-06:00

8th grade GOAL students might need some time this weekend to finish up Images of Greatness timelines and bio-riddles. Here are a couple of online sites that might help... they're new to me, but they might be worth checking out:

Timeglider

Timeline tool from readwritethink.org

Here's a blog entry talking about different timeline tools w/ web addresses included.

Timeline Maker from Teachnology

XTimeline.com (thanks, Mr. Munford!)

Students are always welcome to do their timelines the old-fashioned way too with nice printing and pictures or with printed captions actually glued to paper. Many word processing tools have great options for making a nice visual timeline too.

Weekly Preview: 2/21-2/25

2011-02-21T11:18:00.004-06:00

6th GOAL: Students will be finishing up their oceanography unit this week, completing the activities that accompanied Great Ocean Rescue.

7th GOAL: We seem to be starting the week a little behind already, but I'd hoped students would be able to start building exhibits, compiling & recording documentaries, and practicing performances. I'd like the projects finished this week because History Day is not going to wait for us. This will probably mean homework if we're going to get back on track with deadlines.

8th GOAL: Papers and annotated bibliographies are due today (Monday). The rest of the week will be spent on writing bio-riddles and creating timelines. Both are due Friday.

7th Language Arts: We'll be working on Spelling, Week 22 (Frequently Misspelled Words). Book page 136 (1-20) is due on Wednesday. We'll also be finishing our persuasive presentations and dipping into parts of speech if we have time.

Week 22 Words

laboratory

auxiliary

mischievous

salary

temperature

accidentally

remembrance

veterinarian

disastrous

athletic

separately

laundry

temperament

principally

miniature

partially

hindrance

incidentally

privilege

maintenance

Weekly Preview: 2/14-2/17

2011-02-14T18:10:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! What a wild, weird week this is going to be! With ITBS and parent/teacher conferences, the schedules are messed up every single day. We'll all have to go with the flow.

6th GOAL: We're finishing up Great Ocean Rescue, and we'll spend the rest of this week completing the in-class activities that relate to oceanography on the other side of the laser disc. There are some great photos and video clips that go along with them.

7th GOAL: We're working hard on History Day projects this week. Here's our agenda for the next month... 2/14-2/17: plan & organize exhibits, write scripts for performances and documentaries; 2/21-2/25: build/create exhibits, practice performances, create documentaries; 2/28-3/4: write/edit/publish process papers and annotated bibliographies; 3/7-3/11: practice mock judge interviews, perfect projects, prepare for competition; 3/14: last day to panic; 3/15: History Day! It's going to be here before we know it!

8th GOAL: We're working hard on Images of Greatness projects this week. Our research is done, so here's the agenda for the time we have left: 2/14-2/17: write/edit/publish essays and annotated bibliographies; 2/21-2/25: create timelines and bioriddles, submit quote; 2/28-3/11: create trifold display boards, create costume; 3/14-3/17: memorize and practice bioriddle, prepare accompanying dish; 3/17: Images of Greatness takes place at 7:00 pm in the FMS Cafetorium. We have lots of work to do to get to that point!

7th Language Arts: This week we're going to be doing mini-persuasive projects. This will be in class activities that will give students the feel of a persuasive presentation. We will also be working on Week 21 Spelling, Words from Names and Places. Pretest corrections and p. 130 (1-20) are due on Wednesday. The posttest will be on Friday.

Week 21 Words

tangerine

suede

gardenia

calico

frankfurter

tuxedo

angora

cardigan

damask

cheddar

magnolia

denim

hamburger

cantaloupe

satin

currant

leotard

cashmere

hyacinth

camellia

I hope to see all you parents and guardians at parent/teacher conferences this week. They take place from 5:00-8:30 on Tuesday and Thursday nights. See the school website for details, or leave a comment here if you have questions. Have a wonderful week!

Library Day Booktalks

2011-02-08T12:00:00.003-06:00

With shortened periods and 2 grades needing to finish research today, I didn't take a lot of time today for booktalks, but here are the few I highlighted:

A Killing Freeze by Lynn Hall

Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff

Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Happy reading!!!

Weekly Preview: 2/7-2/11

2011-02-07T09:09:00.004-06:00

This week's schedule is a revision of last week's schedule, thanks to our 3 snow days.

6th GOAL: More Great Ocean Rescue! Each group is getting better with every mission in using the data provided, debating skills, and problem-solving strategies.

7th GOAL: The snow days last week really messed with our History Day research. We'll be trying to finish up our research by Wednesday of this week. We'll use Thursday and Friday as our days to analyze research and draw conclusions.

8th GOAL: The snow days have also messed with Images of Greatness research. Since the date is set, we won't be adding extra days to the end of the project. Students will be researching through this week. Next week, the major work begins.

7th Language Arts: We've carried over spelling from last week. Page 124 (1-20) will be due on Wednesday. Refer to last week's Weekly Preview for the list. The rest of this week will be spent working on Design-An-Ad. Rough drafts are due Tuesday, and final drafts will be due Friday.

Don't forget that ITBS testing starts Tuesday. Students, get plenty of sleep, and eat a good breakfast. Let's all do our very best!

Bye Bye Birdie Costume Ideas

2011-02-02T12:30:00.015-06:00

If you're playing a teen girl: Consider combinations of the following (some are links to click): poodle skirts, big, swingy skirts, blouses that button up, sweater sets, scarves around the neck, cat-eye glasses, saddle shoes or plain white tennis shoes, bobby socks, rolled-up jeans, capri pants, thick belts around the waist. Here are some more links to teen girls' fashion in the 1950's: #1

If you're playing a teen boy: Consider combinations of the following (some are links to click): bowling shirts that button, plaid or madras shirts that button, plain shirts that button, rolled-up jeans, khaki pants, converse sneakers, high school letter jackets, brown or black loafers.

If you're playing an adult female: Consider combinations of the following (some are links to click): 50's style women's hats, full skirts, pencil skirts, sweater sets, plain blouses, "flats" or "pumps" shoes, aprons, trenchcoats. Here are some more links to women's fashion in the 1950's: #1 #2 #3 #4

If you're playing an adult male: Consider combinations of the following (some are links to click): button-down shirts, brown or black shoes, navy/black/khaki dress pants, neckties, sportscoats/blazers, cardigan sweaters, 50's style men's hats. Here are some more links to men's fashion in the 1950's: #1 #2

If you're playing both a teen and an adult: You have the following options... 1. You can have 2 costumes. 2. You can have a teen costume with some kind of long coat over it for when you're an adult. Consider something like a trenchcoat or an adult's winter coat.

Things NOT to wear: Modern tennis shoes, short skirts, shirts with modern logo.

Here's a clip from the production of Bye Bye Birdie I just saw in the Twin Cities. It gives some ideas for costumes and hairstyles.

I'll add to this page as I find things, so check back often! :)

Weekly Preview: 1/31-2/4

2011-01-31T09:03:00.003-06:00

It looks like a big snowstorm is moving our way, but here's the tentative plan for the week:

6th GOAL: We're continuing with the Great Ocean Rescue Activity. The two classes are competing against each other to spend the least amount possible when solving the oceanography missions.

7th GOAL: We're continuing History Day research this week. Topics have been chosen, and students are really digging in, always keeping the theme of "Debate and Diplomacy" in mind.

8th GOAL: We're continuing Images of Greatness research this week. Topics have been finalized, and students are working to become the expert on their Image of Greatness.

7th Language Arts: We'll start the week with Week 20 spelling. Page 124 plus pretest corrections will be due on Wednesday. We'll be moving on to our annual Design-An-Ad contest for the rest of the week. This is always a hit with students, as they try to design the winning advertisement for the Fairfield Ledger.

Week 20 Spelling Words

application

asset

affirm

according

attain

applaud

assurance

account

assortment

affix

appetite

attempt

accustomed

approval

attire

assemble

appliance

afford

assert

attentive

Weekly Preview: 1/24-1/28

2011-01-24T22:11:00.004-06:00

6th GOAL: We are finally finished with Independent Project presentations, and we're ready to move into our next unit on Oceanography. We'll be doing an activity called Great Ocean Rescue, and it will be a taste of what's to come later in the quarter with the 6th grade interdisciplinary unit.

7th GOAL: We're busy with the research phase of our National History Day projects, and we'll be in the library all this week. All research is good, but primary source research is especially good!

8th GOAL: We're busy with the research phase of our Images of Greatness projects. Topics are being finalized this week, and we'll be in the library becoming the experts on our Image of Greatness!

7th Language Arts: We're finishing up our 3rd pen pal letters of the year this week. Letters are due for teacher edit by the end of the day on Tuesday. Final drafts are due Friday. In spelling, Week 19 words focus on plural nouns. Corrections and book p. 118 (1-20) are due Wednesday.

Let's have another great week! :)

Library Day Booktalks!

2011-01-19T09:06:00.000-06:00

Tuesday was Library Day for GOAL students. The following books are the ones I booktalked during class. Also, every student had a chance to booktalk the book they're currently reading.

Firestorm by David Klass

Monkey Town by Ronald Kidd

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Feel free to comment with your own booktalks too... what are your recommendations?

Weekly Preview: 1/18-1/21

2011-01-18T09:02:00.004-06:00

Our week is getting a late start, thanks to Monday's snow/ice day, but hopefully, we're all rested and ready to go!

6th GOAL: We will be finishing independent project presentations this week. It's taken longer than planned, but the projects have been great so far!

7th GOAL: We're learning more and more about History Day. We'll be picking topics next week and digging into research, so this is the week to really get a good grasp on the process and the expectations. Ask lots of questions!!!

8th GOAL: We will be finishing independent projects this week and then moving into our big third quarter unit, Images of Greatness. Stay tuned for more details!

7th Language Arts: This is a Maintenance Test week, so there will be no spelling pretest, but pp. 111 (1-20), 112 (1-20), and 113 (1-10) will be due Wednesday to review for the big test on Friday. For the rest of the week, we'll be working on our third pen pal letters. Rough drafts are due Wednesday at the end of class. When those are revised, they will be typed and peer-conferenced. Once fixes are made, they are due for teacher edit next Tuesday (1/25) at the end of class. Final drafts will be due next Friday (1/28).

Cast of Bye Bye Birdie: Just stick to the schedule. We'll make up what we missed with section 4 as soon as we can squeeze it in.

Have a good short week, and be careful of that ice. It's still treacherous out there!

Weekly Preview: 1/10-1/14

2011-01-10T10:31:00.003-06:00

6th GOAL: We'll be presenting independent research projects all this week. This is the first time 6th graders have done this. I'm excited to see what they have done!

7th GOAL: We'll be getting more information about History Day this week. The theme of "Debate and Diplomacy" is a tricky one and a great thing to talk about at home for further understanding!

8th GOAL: We'll be finishing up independent research project presentations this week. The next big project for us is Images of Greatness!

7th Language Arts: We're getting back into the routine of spelling with Week 17, Words from Spanish. Book page 105 plus pretest corrections will be due on Wednesday. On Tuesday, we'll have a sharing day to celebrate the end of Writer's Workshop. Then, we'll move into writing another pen pal letter.

Week 17 Spelling Words

avocado

stampede

cafeteria

rodeo

mustang

iguana

lariat

sierra

tornado

cinch

fiesta

mosquito

cabana

bravado

mesa

canyon

pronto

siesta

patio

tortilla

Cast & Crew of Bye Bye Birdie: It sounds like some snow is in the forecast. If, by chance, we end up with a snow day, remember that we'll stay exactly on schedule, skipping over the section we missed due to weather. We'll try to pick it or squeeze it in later.

Have a super week! :)

Weekly Preview 1/3-1/6

2011-01-03T09:54:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year! I think I'm off to a good start. I woke up at 5:30, ready for my first day back at school. Those of you who know me know that this is NOT normal behavior. Maybe I'm turning over a new leaf for 2011!

Here's what's happening in room 101 for this last week of the semester:

6th GOAL: Students will be working on their independent projects this week. They'll start presenting next Monday.

7th GOAL: Students will be getting the basics about National History Day and brainstorming possible topics. It's a challenging theme this year, so we have a lot of discussing and brainstorming to do. Click here for more details.

8th GOAL: Students will be presenting their independent projects. Also, on Thursday, Mrs. Flinspach will be here to talk to the 8th graders about TAG in high school.

7th Language Arts: No spelling this week as we finish up Writer's Workshop. Final drafts are due before students leave on Thursday. I edited tons of papers over break, and I'm very excited about conferencing with my budding young authors!

Rehearsals for Bye Bye Birdie also start this week. We'll meet after school today (Monday) to hand out and go over rehearsal schedules. Drama Club will meet as scheduled on Tuesday, and then we'll really get into blocking rehearsals for the show. Get those lines learned.

Have a super week, everyone!

Science Fiction Booktalks

2010-12-21T14:16:00.004-06:00

Tuesday is library day for GOAL students, and today I booktalked science fiction. GOAL students need to have 3 science fiction books read by the end of the school year, so hopefully they're well on their way!

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Interstellar Pig by William Sleator

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

Beatnik Rutabagas from Beyond the Stars by Quentin Dodd

The Power of Un by Nancy Etchemendy

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

The Search for Snout by Bruce Coville

Weekly Preview: 12/20-12/22

2010-12-20T15:11:00.002-06:00

Can we make it 3 days? YES, WE CAN! :)

6th GOAL: This week will wrap up your library time for independent project research. You can continue over the break, if you need to, but we will not take any more class time for research.

7th GOAL: We're finishing up independent project presentations this week. If we finish early, we'll be having quiz bowl competitions and other similar mental feats of strength.

8th GOAL: We'll take the rest of class time this week to finish up independent research projects. We'll start presenting right when you get back on the 3rd of January, so make sure you're ready to go with bibliographies printed out and presentations rehearsed.

7th Language Arts: No spelling this week. We'll be focusing on Writer's Workshop for these last 3 days before break. Any writing that you want to count on your quarter grade must be turned in for teacher edit by the end of the day on Wednesday. This means the rough draft is written and revised, the 2nd draft is peer conferenced and fixed, and the 3rd draft has been carefully self-edited. Fill out your turquoise "Teacher Response Form," clip everything together from the best draft down to the worst draft, and turn it into the bin. Good luck!

I hope all of you out in CyberLand have a wonderful, restful holiday break. It's time to count the blessings in our lives, and my students at Fairfield Middle School are among my biggest blessings! See you next year! ;)

Library Day Booktalks: Mysteries

2010-12-14T14:16:00.004-06:00

Today was library day, and I booktalked the following selections in the mystery genre. GOAL students should be getting about halfway done with their 40 book contract for the year. 2 of those are mysteries, so I hope these booktalks helped with that requirement!

The Dark and Deadly Pool by Joan Lowery Nixon

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett

The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett

The Calder Game by Blue Balliett

I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy

Stolen Children by Peg Kehret

The 100 Year Old Secret by Tracy Barrett

Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip

Adam Canfield: the Last Reporter by Michael Winerip

Weekly Preview: 12/13-12/17

2010-12-12T19:54:00.003-06:00

It's getting closer and closer to Christmas break, so I'm sure things are bustling in every household. They're bustling at school too! Friday we'll have our annual FMS talent show which is always a big hit. The cast list is also posted for Bye Bye Birdie, and we'll have our first rehearsal this Thursday to read through the show and pass out scripts & cd's. Stop by room 101 to check the list and put your initials by your part to let me know you've seen the list and accept your role.

Here's what else is going on in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL: We will be continuing our library research this week for Independent Research Projects. On Monday, Mrs. Lantz will be showing how to use the online databases. Please use them before trying Google. Your research will be much more productive!

7th GOAL: Hopefully, we'll be finishing up the presentations for our Independent Projects this week. We saw some fantastic work last week. I can't wait to see what else is in store!

8th GOAL: Wednesday will be the last day for research in the library for Independent Research Projects. After that, you'll have until Christmas break to work in class on the projects you'll start presenting on January 3.

7th Language Arts: Monday will be devoted to spelling. The theme for this week is Adding Suffixes that Change Stress of Words. Pretest corrections and p. 100 (1-20) are due Wednesday. For the remainder of the week, we'll work on our Writer's Workshop stories. Remember, these are due for teacher edit by Christmas break which means your story is written, revised, typed, peer-conferenced twice, and carefully edited. You have a lot of work to do to make the deadline. 1/2 your grade comes from the rubric on the back of the page given in class (quality). The other 1/2 (quantity) comes from the following scale: 3+ final draft pages = A, 2+ final draft pages = B, 1+ final draft page = C, and a piece submitted for teacher edit without reaching final draft stage = D.

Week 16 Spelling Words

confer

conferred

conference

occur

occurred

occurrence

omit

omitted

omitting

prefer

preferred

preference

infer

inferred

refer

reference

referring

compel

compelled

compelling

Historical Fiction Booktalks

2010-12-07T12:14:00.003-06:00

Tuesday means library day for GOAL students. Today I booktalked the following historical fiction selections:

Voyage on the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse

Piratica by Tanith Lee

Iron Thunder by Avi

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

The Broken Blade by William Durbin

Enjoy!

Weekly Preview: 12/6-12/10

2010-12-06T09:59:00.004-06:00

6th GOAL: 6th grade GOAL students will be finishing up their last mock trial and moving into independent research projects. They will be brainstorming for topics, and then they will be researching in the library. Their research will be due on the last day before Christmas Break, and then they'll have that first week to work on projects in class. Presentations will begin on the first day of the new semester, January 10.

7th GOAL: 7th grade GOAL students will be presenting their independent research projects, starting on Wednesday. Everything needs to be done by this time, including bibliographies.

8th GOAL: 8th grade GOAL students will be spending this week in the library, researching for their independent research projects. They will 4 days before break to work on their projects in class, and presentations will begin right on January 3, when they return from Christmas break.

7th Language Arts: Spelling is a difficult list this week (Frequently Misspelled Words), so 7th grade language arts students need to pay special attention to pretest rewrites and the assignment due Wednesday (p. 94, 1-20). Starting on Tuesday, we will be introducing the writer's workshop process and working on workshopping stories on topics of the students' choices until Christmas Break. The deadline for teacher edit will be the last day before Christmas Break.

Week 15 Spelling Words

breathe

usually

vacuum

picnicking

bouquet

annually

pursuit

bouillon

actual

league

mimicking

variety

coupon

maneuver

curiosity

peculiar

visually

courtesy

initial

pursue

Bye Bye Birdie Links

2010-11-30T17:19:00.004-06:00

The internet connection was not cooperating today in Drama Club, so here are some links to different productions of Bye Bye Birdie to watch. Auditions for the show are Tuesday, December 7, and Wednesday, December 8, after school in the cafetorium. There are TONS of roles for both cast and crew, both singing and nonsinging, both speaking and nonspeaking, so I hope everyone will turn up for a great production!

>

Weekly Preview: 11/29-12/3

2010-11-29T11:31:00.007-06:00

I'm full of turkey and ready for a brand new week! :) Hope you all are too!

6th GOAL: This week, we'll be starting our civil trial. Jack & Jill will be on the witness stand! After wrapping up our mock trial unit, 6th grade GOAL students will move into independent research projects.

7th GOAL: Our independent research is done, and now we're moving into the project phase of the unit. Students will have this week to work on how they're going to show what they've learned to the class. Here is a great link that I used this summer in my Web 2.0 Tools Class. If you're not sure how you want to present, browse through these websites and look at all the possibilities. Remember that your INFORMATION is the important part. How you present is just the vehicle that you're using to show us what you learned. Don't forget to use the rubric I provided in class to see how the project will be graded.

8th GOAL: We'll be using this week to continue research for our independent research projects. Our goal is to become the expert on our topics!

7th Language Arts: We'll be finishing our pen pal letters this week. Final drafts will be due by the end of class on Thursday with all corrections finished from my teacher edits. Spelling words for Week 14 focus on the suffixes -able and -ible. It's a challenging list. Page 88 (1-20) and pretest corrections are due Wednesday.

Week 14 Spelling Words

compatible

questionable

uncomfortable

eligible

unavoidable

accessible

reasonable

unacceptable

permissible

incredible

unreasonable

remarkable

unmistakable

ineligible

considerable

recognizable

suitable

admirable

noticeable

disagreeable

6th Grade Writing Opportunity

2010-11-28T18:30:00.003-06:00

The Old Creamery Theatre Company is having its annual writing contest, and 1st-6th graders are eligible to enter, so give it a try! Click here for details!

Weekly Preview: 11/22-11/23

2010-11-21T21:40:00.003-06:00

It's going to be a short week here at FMS, but we're going to cram a lot into these 2 days!

6th GOAL: We'll continue our mock trials on Monday. We'll be finishing up our criminal trial and moving into our civil trial. We'll also be planning some questions for our Tuesday field trip. On Tuesday, during the regular GOAL class period, we'll be traveling to the Jefferson County Courthouse to take a tour and meet a judge. It will be a short trip, but it will improve our understanding of the trial process.

7th GOAL: Monday and Tuesday will be our last days to research for Independent Research Projects. Of course, more research can be done at home over Thanksgiving break if needed, but we won't take any more time after this week. Make sure your facts are ready, your daily logs are completed, and your NoodleBib is started! Mrs. Lantz will also be helping us learn how to use Diigo to keep track of all our online bookmarks so we can have them wherever we have internet access.

8th GOAL: We will be continuing our research for Independent Research Projects this week. Mrs. Lantz will also be showing our class how to use Diigo to keep track of our online bookmarks.

NO JOURNAL LETTERS DUE FOR GOAL CLASSES THIS WEEK!

7th Language Arts: No spelling this week! We'll be working on pen pal letters this week. They're due for teacher edit by the end of the day Tuesday. This means the rough draft is written and revised, draft 2 is typed and peer-conferenced, draft 3 is self-edited for conventions and as close to perfect as possible, and an envelope is addressed and attached.

Weekly Preview: 11/15-11/19

2010-11-12T15:23:00.004-06:00

Here's what's coming up next week in Room 101!

6th GOAL: 6th grade GOAL students are in the middle of their mock trial unit. Next week we'll have a local lawyer come to class to answer questions and tell us more about the American Judicial System. Then, we'll be ready to begin our first trial, The State vs. Hansel and Gretel Schmidt! Students have been prepping for the trial this week, and next week, the big event begins!

7th GOAL: 7th grade GOAL students are working on independent research projects. Topics have been chosen, and they will have next week to research and become the experts on their topics. Thursday will be our last day in the library, and we'll be wrapping up the research time using resources in our classroom.

8th GOAL: 8th grade GOAL students are finishing up the Holocaust unit by reading the play of The Diary of Anne Frank out loud. When we're done with this culminating activity, we'll get started on Independent Research Projects.

GOAL students have all started responding to the books I'm reading out loud on a class wiki. Links to the wikis can be found on the right-hand margin of this blog. Wikis are able to be viewed by anyone, but only invited members of the GOAL classes can respond. They are to use their school usernames and passwords for safety. 6th graders are hearing Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements. 7th graders are hearing The Cardturner by Louis Sachar. 8th graders are hearing To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

7th Language Arts: This week will be full of writing. Students will be working on the final drafts of their RAFT stories, corrected from teacher edits. Then they'll be starting a new pen pal letter for the 2nd quarter. Spelling for Week 13 focuses on the suffix "-ly." Pretest corrections and p. 82 (1-20) will be due at the beginning of class on Wednesday.

Week 13 Spelling Words

absolutely

briefly

vague

fortunately

urgent

particular

instantly

necessarily

deliberate

particularly

immediately

urgently

accurately

deliberately

presently

readily

approximately

vaguely

positively

absolute

Booktalks: 11/9 (Informational Nonfiction)

2010-11-09T11:19:00.003-06:00

Today for library day, I had a request to booktalk informational nonfiction. GOAL students have a requirement of 4 books in this genre for the year, so we talked about the genre in general, and I gave them some suggestions.

Communicating with Your Dog

Samurai

Paintball

Learning from the Dalai Lama

Spinal Cord and Nerves: Injury, Illness, and Health

Nigeria: Country File

The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Why Pi?: How Math Applies to Everyday Life

What are some of your favorite informational nonfiction books? Feel free to comment with your book suggestions!

Weekly Preview: 11/8-11/12

2010-11-08T12:29:00.005-06:00

We're all rested up from our glorious 3-day weekend, and we're ready to tackle another week of learning here at FMS! Here's the plan for the week...

6th GOAL: We're almost done with our preliminary research on the American Judicial System. Some possible guest speakers are also in the works, so students will have a chance to ask lots of questions. Our next step is assigning parts and doing research for our first case: The State vs. Hansel & Gretel Schmidt. Students will be the lawyers, witnesses, and jury members.

7th GOAL: We're in the process of finalizing topic selection and beginning research for our Independent Research Projects. Students will be in the library for a little over 2 weeks, documenting their daily progress and setting the next day's goal on a daily log. As expected, the topics so far cover a WIDE range of interests and passions!

8th GOAL: We had a delay on starting our read-aloud of the play The Diary of Anne Frank, but we got started last week. This will be the cap to our Holocaust unit. I love hearing this piece read aloud, and we have the perfectly sized class for the cast.

7th Language Arts: This is a maintenance test week for spelling, so there is no pretest. To review for the big test on Friday, students will be completing p. 75 (1-20), p. 76 (1-20), and p. 77 (1-20) which will be due Wednesday. We're also working on RAFT stories that will show understanding of the Voice trait of writing. Rough drafts are due at the beginning of the class Tuesday, and pieces are due Friday for teacher edit (revised, typed, peer-conferenced, and edited).

As always, feel free to e-mail or phone me if you have any questions or concerns, and have a great week!

Geocaching

2010-11-08T10:30:00.006-06:00

I found out last month that my grant for handheld GPS units for GOAL had been approved. In the spring, students will start geocaching as a class, and they'll be able to check out the units for weekend family use as well. Our GOAL classes will have a membership to geocaching.com, so we'll all be on the same "team." What is geocaching? It's technology, connectivity, 21st Century Skills, geography, fun, exploration, cooperation, and more! Watch the clip below for more information...

Exciting News... Mark Your Calendars!

2010-11-04T15:08:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to officially announce that this year's musical will be Bye Bye Birdie! In the past, our production has always taken place the week after February parent/teacher conferences. This year, to accommodate our illustrious accompanist, Mrs. Andersen, and the rest of our band students participating in Ottumwa Solo Day, we're pushing our performance dates back a week. So... mark your calendars.

Bye Bye Birdie

An FMS Drama Production

March 3 & 4, 2011

7:00 P.M.

FMS Cafetorium

Weekly Preview, 11/1-11/4

2010-11-01T10:40:00.002-05:00

It's Parent/Teacher conference week here at FMS, and I hope I get to see and meet lots of parents. Conferences are from 5:00-8:30 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. There will be no school Friday. If you're a parent, and you can't attend conferences, feel free to call me or e-mail me to set up a time to discuss your student's progress.

Drama Club WILL meet on Tuesday, but at a special time. We'll be meeting in my classroom (room 101) from 2:30-3:30. Hope to see you there!

6th GOAL: 6th grade GOAL students are going to start their Mock Trial unit this week. We'll be getting some basic background information about the American Judicial system. Then we'll be having both a criminal trial and a civil trial with students playing each of the parts involved. This unit is always a favorite with GOAL students.

7th GOAL & 8th GOAL: 7th & 8th grade GOAL students will be starting their yearly Independent Research Projects. We'll start by brainstorming, continue with researching, and then students will be turning that knowledge into stellar projects. Independent Research Projects foster a passion for learning in an area of high interest for students. I always love seeing the end products too!

7th Language Arts: In language arts this week, we'll be focusing on the trait of Voice. We'll get the basics, and then we'll start a writing assignment called a RAFT story where students will be taking on the role of any inanimate object and writing from its point of view. Week 11 spelling words are "Words with More Letters than Sounds." Spelling p. 70 and pretest corrections will be due on Wednesday, and the posttest will take place on THURSDAY since we have no school Friday.

Week 11 Spelling Words

wrestle

scenic

guarantee

descendant

knoll

align

spaghetti

herb

sought

honesty

schedule

thoroughly

gnarled

hustle

descend

scenery

exhibition

resign

gauge

jostle

How About Some Poe for Halloween?

2010-10-29T15:58:00.003-05:00

Nothing like a little Edgar Allan Poe to set the mood for Halloween. GOAL students watched this movie of "The Tell Tale Heart" today. It's the same movie that I remember watching in 8th grade, and I think it still holds up pretty well. We also read "The Raven" and parts of "Cask of Amontillado." CREEPY STUFF!!!

The Tell Tale Heart - UPA (1954) from J.F. Culhane on Vimeo.

Weekly Preview: 10/25-10/29

2010-10-22T13:17:00.001-05:00

Here is what is happening in room 101 next week:

Red Ribbon Week! We'll be celebrating all next week with different dress-up days. If you'd like to know more about the history of this week that reminds us to pledge to be drug-free, click here. Monday: “Twin Day” dress up for Red Ribbon Week! Double up to fight drugs! Tuesday: “Crazy Socks” day-Knock the socks off drugs!" Wednesday: “Team Day”-Join our team against drugs! Thursday: “Wear Red!” Honor red ribbon week! Friday: “Boot Day” Stomp out drug usage by wearing boots!

6th-8th GOAL: Monday will be your last class day to work on literature circle projects. These projects are your summative assessment (final test, in other words) over the literature circle unit. Since Tuesday is library day, we'll start presentations on Friday. Remember, I've shared the google doc with you about the requirements for the projects, if you need to refer to them.

7th Language Arts: Next week, you'll be working on the final drafts of your "If I Were Mayor, I Would..." essays. From there, we'll wrap up the trait of organization and move into the trait of voice. Week 10 in spelling focuses on adding suffixes to words ending in silent e. Pretest corrections and book p. 64 (1-20) are due Wednesday.

Spelling Week 10 Words:

demonstration

concentrate

issuing

believable

excuse

communication

comparable

endure

appreciation

ignorance

concentrating

examination

likable

concentration

excusable

receiving

organization

endurance

celebration

achieving

Uniting Against Bullying

2010-10-20T16:13:00.007-05:00

10/20/10: The Day We Unite Against Bullying

Today, in support of the message "The End of Bullying Begins with Me" being shouted from coast to coast, I gave my classes the following assignment.

They could write any comment that came to mind. I had to share them here for your all... I copied them just like they wrote them.

I was blown away by the responses. They are touching and sincere and honest, and they remind me why I love teaching middle school. The responses give me hope for the future. Stick to your convictions, kids. You can change things!

Orange post-it notes (I have been bullied or I know someone who has been bullied):

* I do not want my family to get bullied.

* It is not funny to be bullied and people should not do it.

* This year I saw a bit of one of my closest friends being bullied. I wish I had done something.

* If you feelings are getting hurt, it is NOT tattle-tailing.

* I've been bullied before, and it hurt. I don't think anyone should have to go through that pain.

* Racist stuff

* I do not like seeing buling

* Bulling is a horrible thing to do. No child should have to endure being bullyed. Mentaly or physicaly it's a horrible thing.

* I don't think people should threaten people. Bullied 4 times.

* I think that people should put themselves in other people's shoes

* I have been called fat and short before right in front of a teacher and they didn't do anything about it.

* I've been bullied and I've seen my friends being bullied. It's not right at all. Bullied 3 times.

* No one should be phisically bullied or mentally. They both hurt. Inside and out.

* One time 4 boys surrounded me and started pushing, kicking, and punching me. It wasn't fun. I hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.

* If you don't like to be called it yourself don't say it to someone else!

* Take a stand for a bullied person

* Blend in with the crowd.

* I see it but don't stop it. Even though I should.

* Making others feel bad will only make you feel worse. It won't make you popular, or cool. Just don't - it hurts

* Getting an adult is the best thing to do

* It's also an action sometimes. Not words!

* Bullying should not go to the extreme like forming a gang and kicking, hiting, shoving.

* There is alot of bullying in FMS and I sometimes bully and I know its wrong

* It happened to them. I won't let it happen again.

Pink post-it notes (I promise to be kinder, more aware, and more respectful of how my behavior affects others):

* Sometimes, people hurt my feelings without meaning to, and realized I do the same thing sometimes.

* this alone can fully stop bullying

* I promise to not bully anymore. I will try to stop other people around me too.

* I will try to keep watch of my actions around people

* Your actions can affect, so I will be nicer!

* Bullying is mean, rude and makes people unhappy. :(

* I will not be not nice to my friends

* I will help people who are being bullied. I will also do what I can to be nicer to people

* Sometimes we bully without realizing it.

* I am a little harsh at times, but I promise to think before I speak.

* I sometimes bully myself and others, but not often.

* I have bullied people before. When I get mad I yell at them. I'm going to try to do better on that.

* I promise to help someone who is being bullied

* I will watch what I saw and do more now.

* I promise to be kinder or more respectful to people except the one who are asking for it.

* I will be kinder in everything I do. I will also help other that can't get an answer on a question

* I'll watch for bullying mor

* Sometimes my friends and I make fun of the girls who make fun of us. Whenever we would do this, I would think, "How am I any better than them by doing this?"

* If everybody does this there wouldn't be any more bullying

* I promise to be nicer and to not make rude jokes/comments.

* I wish bullying would stop in all schools. Life would be a lot easier for some kids

* I think bullying is very bad. I don't think people should do it.

* I promise to be nicer to people

* I call people names sometimes and I guess I never realized what I was doing was bullying too.

* To be respectful and to be more aware is to be a better person all the time. OH YEAH!

* Bullying is wrong

* Sometimes I do bully people but NOT on purpose I'm going to be more careful

* It's true, weve all been bullied. Some have it worse. They don't tell us that.

* Bullying helps no one.

* I've been bullied before by high-schoolers on my bus. I've also bullied people, which was a huge mistake.

* Bullying is a bad things. I've bullied before and been bullied

* Bullying need to stop no body likes it

* I will be nice.

* I shall become as kind as possible. I will treat others well and use my respect.

* I think some bullys aren't aware of the pain they cause

Blue post-it notes (I promise to take a stand to help someone who is being bullied):

* I'm not going to let anyone be bullied. Even if it is a small matter. I will stand up for what I believe in.

* I will stop anyone bullying a friend, or someone I don't know

* Bullying isnt nice. It is pointless and stupid and makes you look mean.

* I will help people by telling someone or helping if they are being bullied

* If you don't help someone thats getting bullied, that means your a bully too!

* it not nice to bully

* I promise to help stop bullying

* I've seen people on the bus fighting and cussing.

* If someone is being bullied I'll stand up for them.

* I will stand up for anyone being bullied

* Bullying is bad!!

* I can't stand to watch someone be bullied

* I see people getting bullied al the time. It never stops!

* I will never beat my dog ever. Even though I've never had before

* I'll defend someone even if it's not the popular thing to do.

* I think bulling is a very stupid thing. If you don't like someone, just don't talk to them

* I promise to do this or my name isent Bob

* I PROMISE TO STAND UP AND HELP SOMEONE WHO IS BEING BULLIED

* Bullying needs to stop. It doesn't benifit anybody

* I think bullying is hurtful.

* When I walk down the hall I see people closing peoples lockers!

* I'm not usually bullied, but I hear people talking behind one specific friend of mine's back. I will take a stand.

* Taking a stand is very effective

* I try to stick up for everyone

* I think that everybody should take a stand if someone is being bullied

* Bulling is unexceptible

* I have seen bulling and I want to help stop it.

* I will take a stand because everybody has been there and it should be stopped People are killing themselves because of this.

After they wrote, I shared my feelings and thoughts. I told them about the Pacer Center's Day to Unite Against Bullying, we talked about why people bully or stay silent, and we talked about what they could do if they saw bullying happening around them.

The responses above are not perfect, in any sense, but the majority were so positive. I know it's easy to write what the teacher wants to hear one day in class, but I hope all these kids will take a little of today with them. It only takes a spark...

Weekly Preview, 10/18-10/21

2010-10-15T08:12:00.006-05:00

Here's what's happening in room 101 next week... :)

I will be absent on Monday and Tuesday. I'll be attending the Iowa Talented and Gifted Association State Convention. It's always so informative and inspiring. I know I'll come back with a ton of good ideas for my classes!

6th, 7th, & 8th GOAL: Monday will be your last literature circle discussion. On Tuesday, before going to the library, you will complete your end-of-the-quarter self-evaluation for your reading contract. This will be your last grade of the quarter, and you will have until Tuesday to complete your 10 books for the quarter. On Wednesday, we'll be having mixed group discussions on the overall themes of your literature circles. Thursday and Friday, you'll work on your projects which will show your overall learning during the literature circle unit.

7th Language Arts: Next week, you'll be working on your "If I Were Mayor, I Would..." essays. These will be due on Thursday for teacher edit. Before that point, you should have a handwritten and revised rough draft, a typed and peer-conferenced (twice) second draft, a fixed and self-edited third draft, and a final draft ready for me to edit. The Week 9 spelling list focuses on the suffixes -tion and -ation. Pretest corrections and book p. 58 (1-20) are due on Wednesday. Spelling words include:

Week 9 Spelling Words

recognize

recognition

decoration

decorate

combine

combination

determination

determine

graduation

graduate

hesitate

hesitation

education

educate

compete

competition

eliminate

elimination

admiration

admire

Also, there will be NO DRAMA CLUB this week due to me being absent. I'll see you in two weeks!

Mayor Malloy Comes to FMS

2010-10-13T12:00:00.007-05:00

Mayor Ed Malloy visited Fairfield Middle School on Tuesday, October 12, 2010, as the kickoff to an upcoming 7th grade language arts assignment. 7th graders will all be entering an essay contest sponsored by the Iowa League of Cities. Their essays will start with the phrase "If I were mayor, I would...," and the papers will reflect on how the students would improve the towns where they live.

Mr. Dailey gave the introductions, and the mayor spoke about his job and answered a few questions from students. Now the 7th grade has a much better idea about what a mayor's responsibilities are. Their essays should be sensational!

Weekly Preview, 10/11-10/15

2010-10-11T08:22:00.004-05:00

Here's what's coming up this week in room 101:

6th, 7th, & 8th grade GOAL: This will be the last full week of literature circles. You'll have discussions on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and next Monday (Tuesday: library day). Plan accordingly when deciding the number of pages to read each day.

7th language arts: We will be discussing the Organization trait of good writing this week. Tuesday, you'll have a special guest speaker, Mayor Ed Malloy, who will kick off our topic for the next big writing assignment. Every 7th grade student will be entering the "If I Were Mayor, I Would..." contest. We'll be writing rough drafts of these essays this week. For spelling, Week 8 words all fall under the topic Adding Suffixes to Words Ending in Silent e. Pretest corrections and p. 52 (1-20) are due on Wednesday.

Week 8 Words

encouragement

idleness

canoe

manage

forgiveness

acreage

outrageous

management

forgive

canoeing

inventiveness

encourage

acre

commencement

advantageous

commence

fierceness

amazement

awareness

announcement

Why I Love Lit Circles

2010-10-08T09:05:00.005-05:00

GOAL students are right in the middle of their literature circle unit. It's one of my favorite times of the year. Why do I love lit circles?

1. They run themselves. With some good directions & some good modeling, the kids get the routine. They get with their groups and get to work. I get to walk around, observe the discussions, and enjoy the results.

2. Deep thinking and connections. So many strategies all packed into one activity... QAR; text to text, text to self, text to world connections; predicting; visualizing; character analysis... I could go on forever. Lit circles really pack a punch!

3. Great books. I love finding books for lit circles. I love reading books for lit circles. I love sharing books for lit circles. OK. I just love books. This is not new information.

4. Discussion! The discussion is the very best part. I love hearing what the students discuss with each section of the book. Sometimes I interject, but mostly, I let the discussions go where they may. Readers are thinkers, and the sharing of that thinking in small groups is frankly electrifying to me.

I've modified how I've done literature circles over the years, but I'm really happy with my current format. Thanks, Virginia Broz, for getting me to see things differently in how I set up my discussions. Your "Questions, Comments, & Quotes" sheets (QCQ sheets, as the kids and I refer to them) have made my lit circles even better.

Here's the routine: Students fill out the front of the 1/2 sheet as they're reading. They prioritize the items and bring them up in discussion the next day. On the back of the QCQ sheet, they summarize what the group discussed regarding the item they brought up. When they're done, they staple them together & turn them in, get a new color for the next day, and decide how many pages they're going to read. Then the process starts all over again. It's magic! At the end of the unit, they'll choose a summative project to show what they've learned over the course of the unit. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing." :)

Language Arts Preview

2010-10-06T12:18:00.003-05:00

In our quest to coordinate curriculum with upcoming guest speakers, we're going to be covering the 6 Traits of Writing out of order from how I previously introduced them. But, we're flexible, right? We can handle it. :) This week we're covering Word Choice. We'll complete a word choice grid, do some sentence stretchers, and assess some student writing for good word choice.

Stay tuned for the next Weekly Preview to know what's coming up next! :)

Weekly Preview, 10/4-10/8

2010-10-04T10:02:00.004-05:00

6th-8th Grade GOAL: All GOAL classes will be having literature circle discussions this week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Make sure to come to class with your QCQ sheet completed. Don't forget your book, and be ready to discuss. We'll have our Library Day on Tuesday, so bring your books to renew and check in. You should have a book checked out for independent reading in addition to your lit. circle book.

7th Grade Language Arts: This week, we'll be working more with the 6+1 Traits of Writing. Stay tuned for more specifics. The spelling list for Week 7 focuses on affixes. The list is below, and this week's spelling assignment is p. 46 (1-20). The assignment and the corrections from the pretest are due Wednesday.

Spelling, Week 7: Affixes

fearlessness

requirement

extremely

reconsider

thoughtfulness

inability

disappointment

unexpected

surname

alphabetical

reappearance

surprisingly

agreeable

regardless

unemotional

adventuresome

thoughtlessness

underestimate

improvement

emotional

Weekly Preview 9/27-10/1

2010-09-27T12:02:00.002-05:00

Here's the scoop for this week in room 101:

6th GOAL: You will be starting literature circle discussions on Wednesday. Your theme is moral dilemma, and the book titles your group can choose from include: Left For Dead, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Nothing But the Truth, The Secret School, The Power of Un, Hoot, Stargirl, City of Ember, There's a Girl in my Hammerlock, Nobody Else Has to Know, That was Then This is Now, Wish Me Luck, and Holes. You will be completing a "Questions, Comments, & Quotes" sheet as you read to prepare for your daily discussion. This sheet is worth 10 points per day.

7th GOAL: You will be starting literature circle discussions on Wednesday. Your theme is culture clash, and the book titles your group can choose from include: Three Cups of Tea, The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Define Normal, Under the Same Sky, Iqbal, A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, American Born Chinese (required), Seedfolks (required), Code Talker, Ringside 1925, The Misfits, and La Linea. You will be completing a "Questions, Comments, & Quotes" sheet as you read to prepare for your daily discussion. This sheet is worth 10 points per day.

8th GOAL: You will be taking your Mandarin Chinese vocabulary quiz on Monday. Later this week, you'll be starting Literature Circles. Your theme is the Holocaust, and I will booktalk the following titles for you group to choose: Maus I, Maus II, The Book Thief, Yellow Star, The Wave, Escape from Warsaw, Night, Soldier X, Milkweed, The Other Half of Life, Night, The Boy Who Dared, Emil and Karl, Run Boy Run, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Darkness Over Denmark, and Hidden on the Mountain. You will be completing a "Questions, Comments, & Quotes" sheet as you read to prepare for your daily discussion. This sheet is worth 10 points per day.

7th Language Arts: Your "Grown-Up Rules" stories are due in final draft form on Friday. This means you've revised your handwritten rough drafts, you've typed the story, you've had at least 2 peer conferences and made changes from those conferences, and you've self-edited and fixed mistakes found in self-editing. This is a Maintenance Test week for spelling, so there are no new words. On Friday, we'll have a Maintenance Test over the words in Weeks 1-5. We'll have a big review day on Thursday for those who would rather review than use class time to work on their stories. The spelling assignment (due Wednesday) this week is p. 39 (1-20), p. 40 (1-20), and p. 41 (1-10).