December

We've been working on the following:

1: Discussion questions with ATD

2: Themes in ATD

3. Vocabulary (lots of review for 3B)

4.  ATD Projects connected to theme

November 12 and 14

Vocabulary seems to be our theme this week. On Wednesday we reviewed the 2B words again and took an assessment. You also had time to make up assessments you have missed.

Today (the 14th) our agenda/homework is as follows:

• read from choice books
• review new vocabulary list...Test next Thursday over 3A
• kahoot

We talked about what you would rather do for homework and what you need the most support with. Most of you said reading for homework works the best. The rest of you (okay, two of you) went with writing. So, please do one of the following. Either read OR write for homework. The assignments are below. If you read, then you'll take a quiz on Tuesday and then write in class (with support from me). If you write, then you'll read in class on Tuesday (with support from me).

We're going to test this out and see how it works for your learning. 

• read from ATD -page 196...(We started this reading in class, but you need to finish it for homework).
• Write about loss. You can write about losing a a friend, a relative, any kind of loss you'd like to address. You can also write about losing a game. OR Write about Joy! What makes you happy? Why?

Have a great weekend! Be safe and kind!

October 28 - November 7th

We've had a long few weeks of testing, blogging, and reading.
Your classwork/homework is as follows:

1. Students need to read through page 168 in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. They need to write a blog post discussing this chapter. 
2. Students can study for vocabulary. They will have a test on the words (2B) next Wednesday.
3. Students can read from their choice books. 

October 22

Quack Words

October 20

1. SSR
2. Kahoot (vocabulary review)
3. Vocabulary assessment.
4. We read to page 90 in class today.

Homework

• You need to write an "unwritten rules of" list.
• Your list needs to have a minimum of 8 things in it.

• You have a vocabulary assessment this Friday.

Where I'm from

Your homework is to write about where you are from.

1. You can write a poem or a list. 
2. You can write a paragraph.
3. It needs to be a minimum of 15 lines.
4. It needs to be interesting/unique.
5. You can include pictures, but you don't need to.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The following are topics that came up in our reading today. Please write about ONE of these topics OR select your own topic from the reading.

1. Poverty doesn't give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor.
2. Cartoons are Juniors tiny little lifeboats in the world. He uses them to escape and to survive. What is a lifeboat in your life?
3. Write about a pet you've lost or a pet you still have. 
4. Write about someone you know who could have been very different if someone had paid attention to their dreams.
5. Write about someone you know who had people in their lives who paid attention to his/her dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OwVEQ3GmvQ

Video

September 24

Today we listened to Allie and Hunter's Pieces of You presentations.
We also set up our blogs (thank goodness you were all here!).

Homework
Due Friday: Blog post on What is Normal

Whenever I think of the word "normal" I can't help but think of this scene from the movie Angus. There is some inappropriate language in it, so playing it out loud at school may not work (unless you're in my classroom), but the message in the film is so important.




When I was growing up, normal meant many things. I'll list a few, but it really could be very long.

1. Never having any privacy. I had a small house with few walls (it was a log cabin), so it was tricky to have privacy with two brothers and two sisters.
2. Wearing hand-me down clothes. This was normal for me and it happened to be in style at the time which worked out nicely. I never had to buy calvin klein jeans (or levis for that matter), but I always had them. Later "grunge" was in, so the hand-me downs I had from relatives were actually too nice to wear. Flannels and ripped jeans were cool.
3. Playing sports (even if you weren't any good). I tried this. It didn't work out. 
4. Driving whatever you could. While there were Chevy "fans" and Ford "fans" most kids just drove whatever they could get their hands on.
5. Getting by. My family did lots of this. I think lots of families did, but it's just the way it was. It was our "normal" if you grew up where I did.

September 16th and 18th

This week we worked on pieces of you and reading our choice books.

REMINDER:
Pieces of You is due on Monday the 22nd.

September 12, 2014

September 8, 2014

Today we read the poem Freak.
We talked about our favorite lines and discussed the meaning of the poem. We wrote reactions/reflections on the back of the poem.
Some topics you could write about include the following:

1. bullying
2. growing up
3. stereotypes
4. family/siblings
5. socializing
6. self-image

September 4, 2014

Today we got to know each other a bit and I shared this blog address with you.
This is where you will find the classwork we do each day. If you are absent, please look at this blog first, then send me an email if you have any questions.

I'm looking forward to an awesome year!