Weekly Preview: 5/23-5/27

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

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

Weekly Preview: 5/9-5/13

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

Fractured Fairy Tales: Oldies but Goodies

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

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: 3/28-4/1

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

telegram

chronic

anagram

symphonic

grammatical

synchronize

telephone

periscope

chronicle

megaphone

earphones

microscope

saxophone

Weekly Preview: 3/14-3/18

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

Weekly Preview: 3/7-3/11

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

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: 2/21-2/25

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

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!

Weekly Preview 1/3-1/6

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!

Weekly Preview: 12/6-12/10

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

Weekly Preview: 11/29-12/3

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

Weekly Preview: 11/8-11/12

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!

Weekly Preview

First of all, everyone enjoy their long weekend. I know I will, especially with the first Hawkeye game of the year!

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

6th Grade GOAL: We'll be finishing up Words of Wisdom presentations, and then we'll be starting our Models & Design unit. This unit combines physics and problem solving, and it's always a hit.

7th Grade GOAL: We'll be finishing up Words of Wisdom presentations, and then we'll be starting our unit called Big Science: For the Sake of the Nation. This unit explores the idea of government-backed science projects. We'll be debating issues of the day and exploring current science issues.

8th Grade GOAL: We'll be finishing up Words of Wisdom presentations, and then we'll begin our unit on Mandarin Chinese. It's important to explore other languages, and Mandarin Chinese is not an option you'll have either here or in high school. It's a challenging but important unit.

GOAL NOTE!!!! This week was a procrastination extravaganza when it came to journal letter writing. I assigned the letters on Tuesday, but I should have known that most of you would wait until today to hand them in (see pic below). Thanks to those of you who did not wait until the last minute, but I am a reflective teacher, and I can see we need a new plan! :) From now on, 6th grade journal letters will be due on Wednesdays, 7th grade journal letters will be due on Thursdays, and 8th grade journal letters will be due on Fridays. This first week will be an adjustment period, but then it will all balance out, and you will still have a week to complete letters. Hopefully, I can stagger the deadline so the crate doesn't look like this at the end of Friday! :)

7th Grade Language Arts: We'll be having spelling, even though it's a short week. Your assignment (p. 22 1-20 & pretest corrections) will still be due on Wednesday, so you'll only have one day to work on it. Final drafts of pen pal letters will be due on Thursday, and after that, we'll start learning the 6 Traits of Writing.

Week 3 Spelling Words: Long Vowel Syllabication Patterns:

notify
raven
climate
vehicle
alien
idol
trial
basis
creature
motivate
species
notion
prior
reality
noble
idle
trophy
premium
oval
mutual

See you Tuesday!

Weekly Preview

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you all had a great time and are ready to give your all for the last quarter. It's going to fly, and summer will be here before we know it!

6th GOAL: You will be working on your "Stuff" posters this week. Using the Stuff book about consumption habits, you will all report on a different item. Read your facts and then include the important information on your poster. You will report out on Friday. I'll give you classtime Tuesday and Wednesday to work. You can use time in the library on Thursday to finish if you need it.

7th GOAL: After a quick mini-lesson about the United States Census, we are going to be introducing animation this week. You'll see lots of different examples and techniques. Then, we'll start learning how to use Stop Motion Pro so you'll be ready to make your own movies!

8th GOAL: It's the moment you've been waiting for! You'll be watching To Kill a Mockingbird in class this week!

7th Language Arts: You'll be working on spelling pp. 147, 148, & 149 (due Wednesday) in preparation for your maintenance test on Friday. On Tuesday, you'll take the Parts of Speech pretest, and then you'll start working on your study guide, your Parts of Speech booklet.

Weekly Preview

Here's what's coming up during the first week of March, campers!

6th GOAL: We'll be continuing the Great Ocean Rescue with the Laser Disc player. I loved the looks on all your faces when I showed you the actual laser disc. Classic!

7th GOAL: History Day, History Day, History Day! Exhibits: your projects are due Friday. Performances: your scripts were due today (no one was completely done... grr...), and you'll be spending next week practicing, memorizing, and gathering props & costumes.

8th GOAL: Images of Greatness! We're a little off track with Bio-Riddles because of the snow day this week. On Monday, we'll talk about Bio-Riddles. I'll give you next week to work on them along with your trifold display boards. Buckle down, folks!

7th Language Arts: On Monday, we'll begin spelling unit 21 (Words from Names & Places). Pretest corrections & book p. 129 will be due Wednesday with the posttest on Friday. On Tuesday, we'll go over introductions & conclusions for your Epidemics Research Papers. You'll have the rest of the week to get the whole thing (introduction, body, & conclusion) written, revised, typed, edited, & fixed. Final drafts are due next Friday, March 5.

Last Week of the Semester, Revised

Who was I kidding? Of course we'd have another snow day! How could I be so silly to plan the week ahead? Let's try this again. We will NOT be moving the last day of the semester, so the new quarter and new semester will start as planned on Monday.

6th GOAL: If we don't have time to present your posters, you'll just be handing them in for me to grade. We'll still read aloud (be sure to respond on the class wiki) and go to the library today.

7th GOAL: If we don't have time to finish presenting your Venn Diagrams, you'll just be handing them in for me to grade. We will still go to the library today.

8th GOAL: Mrs. Flinspach is still coming tomorrow as planned. She juggled some things on her end to make it work, so we appreciate that! We'll be reading aloud (be sure to respond on the class wiki) and going to the library today as planned.

7th Language Arts: Your spelling assignment that was due yesterday is now due today, first thing. I'll give you another day on your Quarter Letters, so those will be due tomorrow (Friday) at the end of class. We'll review for spelling today at the end of the period, and we'll have the posttest tomorrow as planned.

Cast of The Secret School: Just stick to the schedule. I think Section 1 is going to need some additional work, but for now, just follow the schedule as printed.

Hopefully, that makes sense. Comment here if you have any questions or concerns!

The Last Week of the Semester

Here's what's happening during this last week of the semester...

6th GOAL: I will continue reading Al Capone Shines my Shoes, and you should continue discussing it on the class wiki. You will be completing your quarter self-evaluation and then presenting the posters on the invention or inventor you've researched. That mini-project will start off our Invent Iowa project. The Invent Iowa competition will be in Burlington on February 17. I need help finding judges, so if you know an adult who could help us out that day, let me know by commenting on this blog! And, of course, we'll have library day on Thursday.

7th GOAL: You will be completing your quarter self-evaluation and then presenting the Venn Diagrams you created comparing the epidemics books you've been reading. From there, we will start brainstorming about and learning about the National History Day competition. And, of course, we'll have library day on Thursday.

8th GOAL: I will continue reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and you should continue discussing it on the class wiki. You will be completing your quarter self-evaluation on Tuesday. On Wednesday, you will continue solving Venn Perplexor and Deducible puzzles. Thursday will be library day. On Friday, Mrs. Flinspach from the high school will be visiting our classes to talk about taking TAG as a class in high school. This will help you in planning your high school schedules.

7th Language Arts: We'll work on Spelling unit #16 this week. It's a short week, so don't forget that you only have one day to work on your assignment (p. 99, 1-20, + pretest corrections). I'll collect your assignments first thing on Wednesday. Then, you'll have two more class days to work on your end-of-the-quarter letters to me. These are important because they help me fairly figure your Writer's Workshop grades. They also let me see what you've learned during the 2nd quarter of class.

It's a short week but a busy week. Keep on top of your deadlines. Let's make it a great last week of the semester!