Tuesday, September 21, 2010

One Month Down

Here's just a re-cap of all that's been going on in English the past few weeks:

  • We've spent time getting organized, setting up binders, introducing students to the library and computer lab.
  • Daily, we have been reviewing the rules of capitalization and punctuation. Students are currently working on a "me" brochure which will feature all of their new learned skills. This brochure is due Friday, September 24th.
  • We've spent a lot of time discussing reading: what to read, when to read, etc. Students are now spending about 15 minutes each day in class reading. Please encourage your child to read at home.
  • Last week, we spent time discussing the reading strategy of visualization. We will continue to discuss various reading strategies through out the year.
  • In writing, I gave student's the District Writing Pre-test and this gave me a good indication of what we need to work on this year. We will soon begin working on how to read and respond to a writing prompt. We will also begin to work on the trait, Ideas.
  • Last week students took the STAR test. This test measures mostly vocabulary and some reading comprehension. I hope to share those scores with you soon. Once again, the best way to increase vocabulary is to immerse student's in print.
  • This week, we began our study of Greek roots, inter- and intra-. The first vocabulary quiz will be next Wednesday and will require students to use the correct word in context. To prepare, students can play the review games on the website.

Future Dates to Note:

  • ME Brochure is due this Friday, September 24th.
  • Vocabulary Quiz, Wednesday, September 29th.
  • Advanced 7: Seq. Group Advertisement Project is due Wednesday, September 29th.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Advanced Group Project: Book Advertisement

As a group, you will create one advertisement for the Sequoyah book you just read. It is your job to get others to read it!

·Create a poster or a book trailer
·Advertisement should be visually appealing, creating interest in the book
·Your advertisement should include:
·the Title of Book & Author
·Genre
·Theme(s)
· Just enough information to convey a sense of what the book is about without giving a way the entire book and CREATE interest.


*You will be given a min. of 2 days in class to work on this project. Project is due on Wednesday, September 29th.