Ms. Lessel

This week will mark the end of the 3’rd marking period.  Students will be wrapping up our unit on figurative language by creating a collage with a partner.  They will start on Tuesday and have class time each day to work on it. They may also look for things to add to it at home.  Students will also be working on Vocabulary Lesson 3 as well as their own reading and writing.

Homework: Reading and Writing Challenge Jan 25th

Week of Jan25

Collage Project:

figuartivelanguageproject

Important Dates

Thursday, Jan. 28th  Jan. Writing Bingo and Vocabulary Tracker  Due

Bonus Coupons Due

Friday, Jan. 29th     1/2 Day- Spirit Day Assembly in the morning

Monday, Feb. 1st   1/2 Day-  Reading/Writing Challenge Due

This week ( Tuesday and Wednesday) we will be taking the NWEA test to measure growth in reading and language. We will also begin Lesson 3 in Vocabulary and continue working on figurative language.

Homework is the reading/writing challenge for Jan. 18th and is due on Monday, Jan. 25th ( the one I copied has the wrong due date). Students are expected to read their good fit book for 20 minutes 4 nights out of the week and write for 20 minutes 1 night out of the week.

Week of Jan19

Important Dates:

Wed., Jan. 19th Late Start

Thurs., Jan. 28th Vocabulary Tracker and Jan. Bingo Board Writing Due

Fri., Jan. 29th End of 3rd marking period, Spirit Day Assemble, 1/2 Day

This week we will be focusing on figurative language, reviewing concepts learned this year, and completing Lesson 2 in vocabulary.

Link to this week’s reading and writing challenge.

ReadingWriting Cafe Challenge Jan11

Important Dates:

Friday, Jan 15: Vocab. 2 Test

Monday, Jan 18: NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, Jan. 19 NWEA Reading Test

Wednesday, Jan. 20 NWEA Language Test

Thursday, Jan. 28th January Writing Bingo and Vocabulary Tracker Due

Friday, Jan. 29th End of Marking Period 1/2 Day of School

Welcome Back and Happy New Year!

We are getting into the final stretch of  our work for the semester which ends Jan 29th.  Students will be taking the NWEA Reading and Language Test on Jan. 19th and 20th to see how they have grown.

This week we will focus on:

Reading: Pyramid of Action/Elements of Plot

Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors

Vocabulary: Lesson 2 ( Quiz Friday, Jan 15th)

Students have also received their January Writing Bingo Boards and Vocabulary Trackers to work on in class during DAILY 3. These will be due Jan. 28th.

The reading writing challenge is due Monday, Jan. 11th.

ReadingWriting Cafe Challenge Jan4

 Reading: Students will be looking at the different types of conflict author’s use when writing. Theme Projects due Tuesday.

Writing- Students will need to have 4 pieces of writing from their in-class Bingo Boards by Thursday.

Word Work: Students should have 10 words completed on their in-class Vocabulary Tracker by Thursday.

Vocabulary: Students will be completing Lesson 1 with a test on Friday.

Homework Reading Writing Challenge ( 3 Day Log) is due Friday, Dec. 18th.

3DayLog

Bonus Challenge ( Extra Credit) Favorite Character Contest due Friday, Dec. 18th.

2015-16_entry_form

Reminders:

Late Start is this Wednesday

Winter Break – Dec 19’th- Jan3’rd

Bonus or Makeup Challenge due Jan’ 4th

Read for 80 minutes over break and record the time you read with a summary of what you  read and a strategy you used explained. Write for at least 20 minutes on anything of your choice.

This week is the start of the 3rd marking period. Report cards fro 2nd marking should come home on Friday.

Students will be working on theme in their reading.  As part of this we could use some patterned scrapbook paper for a project we will be doing. If you have any you could donate that would be great!

The Vocabulary books ordered are in. We are beginning Lesson 1 and should have a test on it by the end of next week. Students have online access to the words,  games, reviews, practice tests. All they need to do is go to www.vocabularyforsuccess.com

Their user name and password is their student id.

Homework Challenge: 

Week of Dec 7

This week we will be wrapping up our argumentative writing unit. Based on their research  students will draft, revise, and edit their response to the prompt, ” Should We Have Year-Round Schools in Michigan?.”  They will be creating a Works Cited page to give credit to the sources they used ( quoted or paraphrased). This is huge for the kids to understand so that they don’t commit plagiarism. They will be using their district google account to compose their writing.

Homework: Reading and Writing Challenge

ReadingWriting Challenge Nov. 30

IMPORTANT

Reminder Friday is the last day of the 2nd Marking. The Bonus challenge of submitting an entry to me ready to go to the PTSA for the reflection contest is due Friday as well.

This week students will be looking at credible sources, finding evidence and how to cite that evidence in order to support their claim on ” Michigan Having Year-Round Schools”.

There is NO reading and writing challenge

Students with missing homework may chose to go back and make-up ONE of each (reading/writing) if they missed one.  All they need to do is look on the blog for the week they missed, print it, do it, and put it in Homework notebook, and clearly mark it MAKEUP. 

OR

Students who have all homework in  may chose to do a  Bonus reading and/or  writing challenge.

Reading Bonus: read for 80 minutes and write a summary. Clearly mark it Bonus.

Writing Bonus: write for 20 minutes. Clearly mark entry bonus.

All Students may work on a final quality product for the PTSA Reflection Contest for Bonus Points ( Due to me Dec. 4th) See links below for rules and entry form.

reflectionrules

reflectionrulesreflectionentryform

Important Dates:

Thanksgiving Break Nov. 25- Nov.28th

End of 2nd Marking Dec. 4th

This week we will by switching our focus and begin looking at the elements of argumentative writing.  Students will examine what makes a good argument ( besides giving just their  opinion- which they are good at ;).  Later in the week they will then be working on researching to support their argument for the essay they will be writing.

This week’s homework writing challenge will have students “playing” with the theme

” Let Your Imagination Soar” from the PTSA. Students can create music, lyrics, dance, video, art, photography or literature- such as poems poems, stories, essays.  The idea is to be creative. For class they are required to spend at a minimum  of 20 minutes at home creating an idea and sharing that idea with me in their homework notebook. I told them to think of it like pitching an idea to Hollywood or a boss.

After this week if students wish to make it into a final product to submit they can for a Bonus Challenge( Extra Credit). The would show me their entry by Dec. 4th and then turn into the PTSA by Dec. 8th.

In addition there is another opportunity tomorrow night at 6PM at the Ford Performing Arts Center to attend an Anti-Bullying Extravaganza! This family  event is free to all Students will receive a gift, be entered in a raffle and get to see a play all while showing they are taking a stand against bullying. Students can summarize up their experience and turn it in to me on Wednesday for a Bonus Challenge( Extra Credit).

Links for all of this are below:

ReadingWriting Challenge 2.5

Reflections PowerPoint

Anti Bullying 2015

This week students will be wrapping up “All Summer in a Day”, getting back their personal narratives, setting goals for improving their writing, and working on replacing over-used words (DEAD words).

There is also an opportunity for extra credit within this week’s writing challenge. students who wish to submit their “Fabulous First Line” to scope magazine can email their entry to me and Scope magazine.

scopemag@scholastic.com

lesseln@dearbornschools.org

They will need an entry form attached with it as well. See the links below.

Reading/Writing Challenge Week 2.4

Reading Challenge2.4

Scholastic Fabulous First line contest entry form:

SCOPE-100115-FirstLine-Contest

Details about the contest:

https:/scope.scholastic.com/first-line-contest