8th Grade

JOURNAL: Sane/Insane – – What is does it mean to be “sane”?  What is insanity?  If you are insane, do you know it?  Explain.

1.Finish “The Monkey’s Paw” p. 372

2.List only the suspenseful events in the story – in chronological order

3.Connect each event to suspenseful words, phrases, and/or sentences.

4.What, if any, pattern do you see?

HOMEWORK:  No homework 🙂

6th Grade

JOURNAL: Traits – – Explain which of the three traits, fidelity (loyalty), bravery, and integrity (honesty), Mako has the most of.

1.Read the story “Aaron’s Gift” page 248

2.Discuss the character of Aaron and take notes on how he does or does not show the characteristics of fidelity (loyalty), bravery, and integrity (honesty).

HOMEWORK:  Book project is due TOMORROW.

8th Grade

JOURNAL: Philosophical Question – – Is being obsessive about someone or something a good thing?  Explain.

1.Read and discuss “The Monkey’s Paw”

2.List only the suspenseful events in the story – in chronological order

3.Connect each event to suspenseful words, phrases, and/or sentences.

4.What, if any, pattern do you see?

5.Compare with another team.

HOMEWORK:  No homework 🙂

6th Grade

JOURNAL:  Bravery – – Explain a time that you showed bravery.

1.Finish reading the story “Ghost of the Lagoon” page 208 – this story is now in Google Classroom

2.Discuss the character of Mako and how he does or does not show the characteristics of fidelity (loyalty), bravery, and integrity (honesty).

3.Start to read the story “Aaron’s Gift” page 248

HOMEWORK: Book project is due THURSDAY

8th Grade

JOURNAL:  Suspense – – Explain a movie that you have seen that was truly suspenseful.  What made it so suspenseful?

“The Lady or The Tiger?” page 704

  * Circle the most suspenseful of those events.

  * Indicate what made each event suspenseful

  * What, if any, pattern do you see?

HOMEWORK:  No homework

6th Grade

JOURNAL:  Phunny Stuph #3 – – Bus Monkey

Copy the following passage and then fix the errors.A young woman got on the bus with her six-month-old baby.  The bus driver said, “Ugh!  Thats the ugliest baby that I’ve ever seen!”  The woman is furious.  She walked to the back of the bus and sat down.  She turned to the man next to her and said, “That driver just insulted me!” The man says, “Really?  There’s no call for that.  You go right up there and tell me off.” The woman hesitated.  “Go ahead,” he said.  “I’ll hold your monkey for you.”

1.Introduce new challenge: The FBI has hired your team to conduct a personality study on the characters Matthew, Mako, and Aaron.  They want to know how each person reacts in the face of a conflict and whether or not the person has the ability to learn and grow from experiences in his life. The FBI is looking for people who have the character traits of fidelity (loyalty), bravery, and integrity (honesty) – the motto of the FBI. In the end, which character should the FBI hire?  

2.Explain requirements:

1.ALL members of the group must read the stories.

2.Each member must take a character from one of the stories and create a PFAST or a character cutout.

3.Then, as a group, you must create a slideshow that explains why each character has or doesn’t have each of the characteristics of fidelity (loyalty), bravery, and integrity (honesty).

4.Each person takes one character and creates five slides for that character.

5.At the end, the group makes and overall recommendation for the FBI as to which one should be hired and why.

3.Today, as a group, start to read “Ghost of the Lagoon” page 208

HOMEWORK:  Book project is due THURSDAY

8th Grade

JOURNAL: Your Choice – – I am collecting SIX journals today.

Today students met with a partner to discuss their plot diagrams for “The Lady or The Tiger?”. They especially focused on the climax and resolution of the story. 

HOMEWORK:  2^nd book check in is January 15^th.  Be prepared with three (3) books (that’s the 2 you already read + 1 new one) AND start make connections between your 3 books and the question you picked.

6th Grade

Journal: Your Choice – –

Students finished and turned in the TDA #2 outline and the conclusion and then they had time to work on their book projects.

HOMEWORK:  Book project is due in 6 days!  That means next Thursday!

8th Grade

Journal: Story – – Write a story that has a clear suspenseful ending like we saw in “The Lady or The Tiger?”

Using “The Lady or The Tiger?” p. 706 

  * Create a plot diagram

  * identify the conflict

  * Identify the resolution

  * Identify the climax

HOMEWORK:  No homework.

6th Grade

JOURNAL: TDA – – Explain what you find easy and what you find difficult about writing a TDA essay.

1.Create an outline like we did yesterday as a class for paragraph #2 of our TDA

2.Write the conclusion to the TDA – ** Which character has become stronger and/or better because of the events that s/he experienced?

* Book project work day TOMORROW.  Bring what you need!

HOMEWORK:  Book project is due in 7 days!

8th Grade

JOURNAL: Decision 2 – – If you were in the princess’s place, what would you do?  Explain.

We finished reading “The Lady or The Tiger?” and then an in depth analysis and discussion about what the princess decided to do in the end – send her boyfriend to the tiger or to the lady.

HOMEWORK:  No homework.

6th Grade

JOURNAL: Presents – – There are only 20 days left until Christmas!  Santa just checked his list and you are on the naughty list.  Luckily, he checks it every day.  What will you do between now and Christmas Eve to get yourself back on the good list?  You have been REALLY naughty, so one thing isn’t going to do it.

Wrote body paragraph #1 for our TDA question – ** Which character has become stronger and/or better because of the events that s/he experienced?

Before writing the paragraph, the class created a group brainstorm of ideas for the paragraph.

HOMEWORK:  Book project is due in 8 days!

8th Grade

JOURNAL: Decisions – – When you are faced with a REALLY difficult choice, how do you come to a decision?  Explain a time this happened to you.

Read “The Lady or The Tiger?”  – we read this together as a class.

HOMEWORK:  Complete IXLs 9.M.1, 9.M.2 and 8.K by Wednesday, December 4^th to 90%.

6th Grade

JOURNAL:  Story Dice – – crow, castle, snake, Viking helmet, cactus, camera, cracked egg, boiling pot, compass

1.Write the introduction to TDA

** Which character has become stronger and/or better because of the events that s/he experienced?

HOMEWORK:  Book project is due in 9 days!

8th Grade

JOURNAL:  Suspense – – Tell us a really suspenseful story.

1.  Review COMMON writing mistakes and take notes – this was an EXTENSIVE conversation. The argumentative essays were flawed in many ways. Hopefully the conversation and notes today will resolve some of our issues.

HOMEWORK:  Complete IXLs 9.M.1, 9.M.2 and 8.K by Wednesday, December 4^th to 90%.

6th Grade

JOURNAL:  Phunny Stuph #2 – – Three Legged Chicken

Copy the following passage and then fix the errors.

A man driving home from work noticed that a chicken walking along the road had three legs.  Following the chicken and ending up at a Farm.  Getting out of his car and seeing that all the chickens on the Farm had three legs.  He asked the farmer, “What’s up with these chickens”?  The farmer said, “Well everybody likes chicken legs, so I bread a three-legged bird.  I’m going to be a millionaire.”  How do these taste asked the man.  The farmer said, “I don’t know.  I haven’t caught one yet.

1.TDA notes – FINISH

2.Glue in TDA rubric

3.Brainstorm ideas for a TDA essay on the following question –  ** Which character has become stronger and/or better because of the events that s/he experienced?  The Narrator or Margot

HOMEWORK:  Finish IXLs 7.B.1 and 7.B.2 (90%) by Tuesday, December 3^rd.

While you are all shopping for the best electronic deals Black Friday (LOL), many of the students need some low tech supplies…paper and pencils!!! A GOOD amount of students are coming to class with nothing to write on and nothing to write with – it might be time to restock our supplies 🙂

Also, from my family to yours, have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

8th Grade

JOURNAL: Philosophical – – Explain the most important thing an infant should know at birth about life/the world.

1.Finish your book check in

2.When you are finished, complete IXLs 9.M.1, 9.M.2 and 8.K

HOMEWORK:  Complete IXLs 9.M.1, 9.M.2 and 8.K by Wednesday, December 4^th to 90%.

6th Grade

JOURNAL: Story Starter – – “On my birthday, Mom made my favorite dinner…” Write the story in the mood of DISAPPOINTMENT.

1.  Thesis statements notes

2.Glue TDA notes

HOMEWORK:  Have a Happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget to finish IXLs 7.B.1 and 7.B.2 (90%) by Tuesday, December 3^rd.

8th Grade

JOURNAL:  No Journal

Today students had their first capstone check in. They were asked to write about and start to connect the 2 books that they read to an overarching universal theme. Many did not finish today, so I will be giving them time tomorrow.

HOMEWORK:  Next book check in will be January 15^th – 3^rd book read and you need to start noting the connections between the books with the question you have chosen.

6th Grade

JOURNAL:  Jealousy – – Since Margot is from Earth and has seen the sun, her classmates are jealous of her.  Talk about a time that you were jealous of someone else.

1.Finish your Character Cut Out

2.IXLs 7.B.1 and 7.B.2 (90%)

HOMEWORK:  Some students did not finish their character cutouts and will need to finish them at home tonight. I have posted the story in Google Classroom. Finish IXLs 7.B.1 and 7.B.2 (90%) by Tuesday, December 3^rd.