Archive for January, 2007
Monday, January 29th, 2007
WEDNESDAY NOTES! 1st and 2nd period had some writing time in our writer’s notebooks, but 3rd period had a fire drill instead. We’ll catch up on Friday. Second period, what did you think of the article about trophies? We ran out of time, so we will talk more about it later. 1st period, what is your news report going to be about? Third period, how’d you like the fire drill??? 
Report on my cold: It’s still here. I’m running out of tissues! WAH!
TUESDAY NOTES! We had a great work day in 401 today. The oral presentations and lit. logs are coming along. I liked reading over the second period lit. log paragraphs during class. Zlata and Dark 30 had great lit. groups, AS USUAL! Today I am still blowing my nose. Will this cold ever leave me????
We’ll have Lifeskills during L.A. this Thursday.
Homework for this week:
Oral Presentations: Friday
First period: News Reports
Second Period: Book campaign speeches
Third period: Poems for 2 voices
Don’t forget your index card response to the texts we shared in class. If you didn’t turn that in today please do so tomorrow.
Lit. Log Work:
First Period: Wringer: Friday, Zlata poem due next Tuesday, Hoot Poem next Thursday
Second Period: Did you hand in your lit. log and the new cover?
Third Period: Naomi due Friday, Dark 30 skit due Tuesday, NBTT skit due Thursday.
Posted in All Blog Entries | 25 Comments »
Monday, January 22nd, 2007
If you’re wondering about homework, let me fill you in:
Bring a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) to school by Friday.
Lit. Log work due dates:
-
- First Period: Wringer will meet tomorrow, Thursday. Zlata will have their final meeting next Tuesday. Hoot will have their last meeting next Wednesday.
- Second Period: Book review for second chapter book due Thursday. Campaign Ad and paragraph due Tuesday. Speeches due Thursday.
- Third Period: Naomi Leon is due tomorrow, Thursday, and Dark 30 will have their last meeting next Tuesday. Nothing But the Truth will meet next Wednesday for the final chat.
Wednesday Notes: We talked about Against All Odds in first period. In second period, we planned out our campaign posters. Third period peeps discussed Slave Ship. If you ever have questions about lit. logs or assignments, feel free to post them on the blog here. You can also email me any time. I’m sorry some of the assignments have not been clear to you. You’re all doing great work in L.A. I appreciate your efforts! 
Tuesday Notes: Today we started class with Read Aloud. The three books are really heating up. Milkweed, Silent To the Bone and Al Capone Does My Shirts…I like all of them. The Book Chats were terrific and you’re all starting to work on your oral presentations. Due dates on those will be discussed tomorrow.
Monday Notes: We talked more about the most exciting word in the world…hyperbole. We also had DEAR today. Did you read anything wonderful? In first period, we discussed a text called Against All Odds, about the abolitionist movement in England. Second period folk read a prize winning book, Remember, by Toni Morrison. And Third period listened to From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, by Julius Lester. What were your impressions of these texts??? See you tomorrow kiddos.
Posted in All Blog Entries | 27 Comments »
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
Homework for the week of January 16, 2007:
- Lit logs due next week:
-
- First Period: Zlata next Tuesday, Hoot next Wednesday, Wringer due Thursday
- Second Period: Second chapter book log work due today, along with vocab. Please bring in Monday if you did not hand it in. Picture book squares due Tuesday. Chapter book review due Thursday.
- Third Period: Dark 30 will be due next Tuesday, and Nothing But the Truth will be due next Wednesday and Naomi Leon will be due next Thursday.
Friday notes: We are working on computer lab literacy projects. First period will be writing mini-newspapers about social justice issues. Second period will be presenting power points about book awards. Third period will be evaluating multicultural picture books and creating a chart to compare their reading. Hope you all have fantastic weekends. I’m off to the History Museum to see a chair exhibit. EXCITEMENT! I love chairs.
Wednesday notes: Our day felt very full to me. Busy, but productive. Yay! In first and third periods, literature groups met and the conversations continue to fascinate me. Second period worked on their power point project. Tomorrow we’ll have DEAR, so make sure you have reading material. And Friday we’ll be in the computer lab for some computer project work. I’m setting my timer so I can grade lit. logs now. Yeeha! Wish me luck. I have about a zillion to grade! (Note use of hyperbole!)
Tuesday notes: We had a fine discussion about the Naomi Tutu article. She’s an inspiring speaker. She says that everyone has a gift that brings us joy and that the world needs. I’m thinking about what my gift is. Giving creative homework assignments????
Can you give an example of hyperboles in your comments? Great job with lit. groups today. See you all tomorrow, on Writer’s Wednesday! 
Posted in All Blog Entries | 41 Comments »
Monday, January 8th, 2007
Homework…?
* Suggestion Board Posters due tomorrow. LAST CALL!
* Hooray! We’re writing an essay for the Bloomington Human Rights Commission. Work on your web which will be due Friday, and your essay will be due next Wednesday, January 17.
* Lit: Log Work:
First Period: Zlata’s Diary, second half of book due Tuesday, January 16, along with literature log work. Hoot will be due on Wednesday. Wringer work will be due next Thursday
Second Period: YHBA review due tomorrow. (LAST CALL! ) Second chapter book due January 19. Picture book due the 23rd.
Third period: Dark 30, second half of book due Tuesday, along with literature log work. Nothing But the Truth will be due on Wednesday. Naomi Leon’s 2nd assignment will be due Thursday. We will have a LONG literature group next week.
Thursday Notes: We worked on pre-writes (webs and maps) for our BHRC essays. We also read Time For Kids, and we learned about compound sentences. A very productive day, I would say…
Wednesday Notes: In first period, we used software to create a Persuasion Map for our essays. Check out the program on the blogroll to the right if you want to do the map instead of a web, second period peeps. Third period did not meet because of the Geography Bee. So we’ll get back on track tomorrow. When’s the snow coming????
Tuesday Notes: Hoot and Nothing But the Truth had great lit. groups today. I thoroughly enjoyed listening in on your book chats. Second period began work on a computer lab project, researching and designing book awards.
Monday notes: What did you think of the Suggestion Box project? What suggestions will you be posting on our suggestion board? Did you hear we had a squirrel in our school?
Posted in All Blog Entries | 63 Comments »
Monday, January 1st, 2007
We got back from visiting relatives in Georgia and Florida today. Now I’m busily unpacking suitcases and putting away holiday gear. It’s nice to have another week off.
When we were in Florida we saw many dolphins swimming next to the coast. A big thrill for me because I LOVE dolphins!!!! Who doesn’t?
Any resolutions? For me, the typical…read more, exercise more. Maybe even finish my dissertation. Who knows????
Posted in All Blog Entries | 34 Comments »
