Monday:

Independent Reading of anchor novels for 25 minutes.  Students responded on Post-its during reading.

RJ:  Pages 150-155:  Compare and Contrast.  Students should finish reading Extreme Weather Hurricanes and Tornadoes on pgs. 152-154 and answer questions 1-3 on page 155.

Wednesday:

IR:  Read anchor novels for 25 minutes and respond on Post-its.

RJ:  Character Analysis, pgs. 156-160.  Complete all questions.  Begin reading Hamadi on pgs. 161-170.

Friday:

IR:  Literature Circles discussing anchor novels.

RJ:  Finish reading Hamadi and answer questions on page 171.

Second Reader Response Letter due today!

Tuesday:

Independent Reading for 25 minutes.  Students then completed a standardized test practice in their Readers Journey on pages 148-149.  The practice test was graded in class and entered on Pinnacle.

Thursday:

Students will continue to read their anchor novels for 25 minutes.  After independent reading, students are discussing their novels in Literature Circles. Each student will respond independently in writing to 5 separate prompts and then discuss in their groups. 

The schedule for the week is as follows:

Monday:  Read for 25 minutes.  Check homework (Thinking About the Selection: The Scarlet Ibis , pgs. 136-137)

Lesson on linking verbs vs. action verbs.  Classwork / homework – Language Coach: Grammar & Spelling, pgs. 138-141.  Due Wed. 1/13

Wednesday:   Read for 25 minutes.

Check homework (see Monday’s schedule).

Choose Anchor Novels.  Students will be allowed to check out the Anchor novels, provided they turn in a signed Checkout Permission slip first.  

Classwork in RJ:  Writing About your Anchor Book – Readers Journal, pgs. 118-119.

Novel choices are as follows:

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Friday:  Receive and review novel assignment sheet.  Work in literature circles and respond to anchor novels.

Because of the snow day on Friday the 8th, today is a B Day.  B Day Reading Classes will have a Reader Response Letter due on Friday.  As discussed with my classes last week, students will be expected to turn in a Reader Response letter every other week for this grading period.  Due dates are as follows:

2nd Response Letter – January 28/29

3rd Response Letter – February 11/12

4th Response Letter – February 25/26

Students are allowed to turn in the response letters early, provided they are not all based on the same reading time period.  For example, if a student reads for 30 minutes at night, he can only write one response letter for that reading time period.  Therefore, the response letters should be based on four different reading time periods.

The schedule for the week is as follows:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are A Days

• READ 180 classes are finishing their narratives on severe weather in class. On Friday, we will work on conventions, such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc. 

Tuesday and Thursday are B Days 

• On Tuesday, all Reading classes are having a short quiz on the elements of a novel.  Students will also read and work on pages 110-111 in the Readers Journey.  Students have been given a short worksheet on Inference to complete for homework.  Each class will have about 10 minutes to begin/complete this work in class.
• On Thursday, we will read the nonfiction passage Animals Among Us on pgs. 112-114 in the Readers Journey.  Students will also complete the questions on page 115. 

Welcome back!  Only three weeks until the next big break.   Following is the schedule for this week:

Today:  Review Unit 1.  Students should complete the practice standardized test on pgs. 98-101 for homework if not finished in class.

Wednesday:  Media Center to check out/return books.   Begin Unit 2 – pgs. 106-109.  Students will learn about the different points of view, as well as the parts of a novel.  We will also compare the novel to the short story.

Friday:  Students will take the Diagnostic Test (pretest) for Unit 2.  After, students will work on pages 110-115, learning about making inferences.  We will also preview the story Animals Among Us on pgs. 112-114. 

I have postponed the Reader Response letters for this week (2 weeks in a row).  Students will not have to turn in a response letter this week. 

On Tuesday, all classes took a test on the novel read during this unit.  Each student took a test specific to the book that he/she read in class.  Students have been reading these books since September. 

After the test, we worked on the Language Coach activities on pages 88-91 of the Readers Journey.  We specifically focused on personal and reflexive pronouns, pronoun agreement, and spelling tricky or difficult words.  Students were asked to finish pages 90-91 for homework if not completed in class.

On Thursday, we will review the activities on pgs. 90-91.  Students will work on enrichment of pronouns and theme through handouts (3 sides, 2 pages total).  Any assignment not completed in class will need to be completed for homework by Monday, 11/16.

Monday

As a class, we read The Day It Rained Cockroaches by Paul Zindel.  This story is found on pgs. 68-72 in the RJ workbook.  During the reading, students identified setting details that described the mood; made notes about what they visualized; and defined unknown words using context clues.  After the class reading, students answered the questions on page 73 (#s 1-5).  All classes had plenty of time at the end to also write and complete their Reader Response letter, which is due Friday.

Wednesday:

We will discuss theme on Wednesday.  Students will preview both stories The Grass Harp and Child of the Owl on pages 75 – 86.   While reading The Grass Harp in class, students will be expected to underline details relating to the theme.  Students will also be expected to define the vocabulary words as they read.  Students will have to read Child of the Owl by Friday – all eight pages.  They will also need to complete the questions (#1-6) on page 87 for homework.

Friday

We will wrap up the week with a Language Coach exercise on personal pronouns, reflexive pronouns, pronoun agreement, and spelling tricky or difficult words (pgs. 88-91).  This work will be completed in class.  Also, Reader Response letters are due on Friday.

Monday: 

Review of Author’s Purpose through worksheet titled Reading Skills:  Author’s Purpose.

RJ:  Pgs. 66-67 Literary Analysis:  Setting and Mood.  Follow up with worksheet on Setting & Mood. 

Both worksheets will need to be completed for homework if not finished in class!

Wednesday: 

Independent Reading and review of worksheets.  Preview story on pgs. 68-72, The Day It Rained Cockroaches by Paul Zindel. 

NO RESPONSE LETTER DUE THIS WEEK.  

NEXT RESPONSE LETTER DUE 10/30.

As a result of the early release day on Wednesday and the field trip on Friday, the schedule for this week is different.

Monday:  full day.  Normal B Day schedule

Tuesday: full day.  Normal A Day schedule

Wednesday:  early release.  B Day.  Reduced class time.

Thursday:  full day.  Normal A Day schedule

Friday:  Field Trip.  non-day.  Students  not attending field trip will engage in lessons relating to CNN, Ted Turner, and the Braves.