Halloween Literature Circles

This week students will select a "scary" short story from Elements of Literature to read and discuss as part of the beginning Literature Circle experience. During the early part of the week, Ms. Barnes will introduce lit circles and student roles in this cooperative group model. The purpose of lit circles is to create temporary reading groups to discuss a self-selected piece of literature. This model provides an opportunity for students to engage in authentic discussions of literature instead of relying on teacher-prepared questions or activities. 

Geography Quiz on Wednesday

There will be a short quiz on Wednesday, October 21st, covering the five themes of geography:

location, place, interaction, movement, and region. Students must know the descriptions of each theme and be able to draw a graphic representation of each one.

Vocabulary Unit 3b Activities

Vocabulary Unit 3b is featured this week. Activities include daily classroom review, definitions due this Wednesday, and a quiz on Thursday, October 22nd. The words for this week are:

11.  myriad

12.  perspective

13.  perturb

14.  prodigious

15.  relevant

16.  skittish

17.  tether

18.  unison

19.  vie

20.  willful

Personal History Time Line

Students are currently creating personal history time lines that depict 10 important events in their lives. Events on the time line may be all personal or may mix personal with world events such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, etc. Each event should be dated in chronological order, summarized in a sentence or two, and include some kind of graphic (photo, magazine cut-out, clip art, or drawing). The time line should contain a title (including student name) and text should be in ink or word processed. The time lines are due this Thursday, October 22nd.  

Novel Book Report Due October 30th

Book Report Guidelines

Standard Format for Fiction

(100 Points)

* Paragraph 1 -- Introduction (10 pts.)

Begin with a grabber to hook the reader. Tell the title of the book. Tell who wrote it. Provide the name of of the illustrator, if there is one. What kind of novel is it (historical fiction, science fiction, etc.)? Has the book won any awards? How many pages does the book have? When and where was it published?

* Paragraph 2 -- Setting (15 pts.)

Where and when does the story take place? Give a detailed

description of the setting and how it affects the story.

* Paragraph 3 -- Characters (20 pts.)

Who are the main characters in the book? How old are they?

What do they look like? Describe their personalities. How do

they change as the novel develops? Who is your favorite character?

* Paragraph 4 -- Plot (20 pts.)

Write a short summary that describes the important events that

happen in the book. Include examples from the beginning, the

middle, and the end of the book.

* Paragraph 5 -- Analysis (20 pts.)

What was the theme of the novel? Describe your favorite and least favorite parts of the book. Explain why. Is the book well written? Would you recommend this book to others? Tell why or why not?

* Don’t forget:

Spelling (5 pts.)

Capitalization and Punctuation (5 pts.)

Neatness (5 pts.)

Writing Assignment Due Friday

The Signs of Fall

For Language Arts this week, you are to spend some time sitting outside all alone. Be sure no one is around to disturb you. Listen carefully, smell deeply, touch objects, slowly look around you . . . look up, down, and to each side. Next, on the back of this paper, make a list of all the signs of fall you can find. Now, carefully write a paragraph in which you describe the signs you have chosen, so that anyone reading your paragraph will have a vivid mental picture of what autumn is like in our town. Be sure to develop a strong topic sentence with three to five supporting sentences and a good concluding sentence.

REMEMBER:

1. Five to eight sentences

2. Topic sentence, detail sentences, concluding sentence

3. Six traits of good writing, focusing on IDEAS and

WORD CHOICE

4. Clearly reworked rough draft

5. Final is neat and written in ink or word processed

6. Signature of adult who helped you proofread your

work for content and presentation (on RD)

7. All three papers (directions, rough draft, final) stapled together with final on top

THIS PARAGRAPH IS DUE ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16TH!

Vocabulary Bee Scheduled for Friday, October 16th

Vocabulary Unit 3a

Week of October 12-16, 2009

This week you will study the first ten words from Unit 3 of Vocabulary Workshop (pages 35 and 36). You will complete a variety of activities using these words. Some exercises will be done in class, and some assignments will be done as homework. This week’s words are also listed below for your convenience.

1. allot

2. amass

3. audacious

4. comply

5. devoid

6. elite

7. grapple

8. incapacitate

9. instigate

10. longevity

Due Wednesday, October 14th: On a separate sheet of notebook paper define each word listed above. You may use the definitions listed in Vocabulary Workshop or those found in a dictionary.

Due Friday, October 16th: Be prepared to participate in a vocabulary bee that includes words from Unit 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, and 3a above. For your convenience, listed below are the words from Units 1 and 2. You need to be able to define each of the 50 words we have already studied this fall.

Unit 1 Unit 2

1. adage 1. antics

2. bonanza 2. avowed

3. churlish 3. banter

4. citadel 4. bountiful

5. collaborate 5. congested

6. decree 6. detriment

7. discordant 7. durable

8. evolve 8. enterprising

9. excerpt 9. frugal

10. grope 10. gingerly

11. hover 11. glut

12. jostle 12. incognito

13. laggard 13. invalidate

14. plaudits 14. legendary

15. preclude 15. maim

16. revert 16. minimize

17. rubble 17. oblique

18. servile 18. veer

19. vigil 19. venerate

20. wrangle 20. wanton

Frozen Moments in US History

This week students are staging "frozen moments" in US history. Each group has selected an event from the past to dramatize as a still photograph. The rest of the class tries to identify the event based on the "photo." Events include 9/11, the Civil War, the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, the assassination of JFK, the Boston Tea Party, and many others. Check back here for photos in the near future.