Seedfolks Jigsaw

Presentations start tomorrow. Don't forget about the extra credit. Can't wait to see what you bring!

Be prepared to complete your posters for your chapter in Seedfolks during class tomorrow.

Complete FINAL Draft of Expository or Persuasive Essay

Make sure your draft is ready tomorrow! Final deadline. Also, make sure you complete your part of the Seedfolks jigsaw project for tomorrow.

Complete FINAL Draft of Expository or Persuasive Essay

Please complete your final draft tonight for HW tonight. It is due at the beginning of class tomorrow. Your essay will be a major portion of your LA grade for your next progress report.

One simple way to improve your writing's organization is to work on your transitions.

You can email your paper to me at scannon@atlantachartermiddle.com

Independent Reading Response Log

Don't forget to read in your independent book tonight AND complete a response from your notebook: predictor, evaluator, summarizer, scene setter/illustrator, questioner, connector, or word wizard/researcher.

8th Grade Writing Assessment

The students did it! We took the 8th Grade Writing Assessment today. The students were focused and on task. Thank you for all of your support.

Ready to Write!!!

The Georgia Writing Assessment is tomorrow. Make sure to get a good night's rest, eat your breakfast, and get to school on time! You are going to kill it!

Peer Editing and Reading Response Logs

Tonight for HW, please complete another entry in your Reading Response Notebook. Remember, these will be turned in to me tomorrow for grading.
I hope that you got good feedback on your writing assessment draft today. We will continue the work on your persuasive or expository essays tomorrow.

Seedfolks!

Today, we started reading Seedfolks and learned about Ana and Kim.
Kim's family is from Vietnam, to learn more about Vietnam follow the link. For extra credit, you can tell the class tomorrow something you learned about Vietnam that may relate to Kim.
We also practiced the following reading strategies/responses:


For HW tonight, please choose one of the roles and use it to respond to your independent reading. Please also include the title of the book and the pages that you read.
Predictor
*What do you think will happen next?
*Why? Back up your answers with reasons from the text.

(Make 2-3 predictions. Write at least 2 sentences about each.)
Connector
*Text to text
* Text to self
* Text to screen
* Text to world
(Make at least 2 connections. Write at least 2 sentences to explain each one.)
Illustrator/Scene Setter
*What do you see in your head as you read?
*Draw scenes or depict imagery
*Cartoon, stick figures, flowcharts
*Where did the action take place?
*Did the location or time change?
*Draw a map of a character’s movements
(Draw a picture. Write at least 2 sentences to describe it.)
Evaluator
*What is your opinion of actions taken in the book?
*Do you think that the characters acted correctly?
*What would you have done if you were that character?
*Would another character have done things differently?

(Write at least 3 sentences. Explain your opinions)

Independent Reading Starts Tomorrow

Make sure that you bring a book for independent reading tomorrow!

Mock Writing Assessment

Today, you began your mock writing assessment. We will continue with the second half of the assessment tomorrow. During the later half of this week and the beginning of next week, I will be meeting with you one on one to discuss your writing and to set goals for the assessment.

For your homework tonight and tomorrow night, I would like you to find a book that you can enjoy reading independently. If you are in the midst of a book already, pick out a book that you might like to read next. You may borrow books from the classroom or school library, or you may go to a local library or bookstore. If you don't know where to begin here is a link to some recommended and award winning books for young adults.

Looking at Ideas

Today, we compared our class created checklist for good writing with the rubric from the Georgia Department of Education, and we missed a few things. In the next several class periods, we will be devoting time to making sure that we understand the rubric for the writing test and that we know how to be successful in each area of the rubric.

In our next class period, our focus will be on ideas.
In consideration of this, your homework tonight is to read Lethal Possibilities and respond to the following:

Is her essay persuasive or expository? How do you know?
What is her main idea in the essay?
What details does she use to support her ideas?
What is her viewpoint on violence?

For extra credit, you can create a concept map or outline of her ideas.

Welcome Back! Happy New Year. Ready to Work?

As we discussed today, we have a lot to do in the next ten days to prepare for the Georgia Writing Assessment on January 20th. We will be reading a variety of essays, so that we can learn from them how to become better writers. Tonight for HW, please read one of the following essays and compile at least five qualities/features of good essays. Be prepared to discuss these features in class tomorrow.

Race and the Census
Obama Needs to Meet with and Cheney?
No Fly List
World's Healthiest Food