Vocab and Spelling Tests Returned

7th and 8th Grade vocab tests were returned today.  I went through the test with the students and discussed some study strategies.  I showed them how almost all the answers in the test can be found in the definition of the word, so if a student knows and understands the definition, they can perform well on the test.

6th Graders received their spelling tests today.  It is clear that the students have been studying hard for them!

Week of December 17th

7th and 8th graders have been working on a persuasive paper recently.  That will be due by Wednesday.  Several students will be on trips Tuesday and Wednesday.  They have until Friday to fiinish their paper, but if they need more time on a computer (and they don't have one at home) I have offered for them to either come in during lunch or stay after school. I am more than happy to accomodate them, but I just ask that they give me a little bit of a heads up.

6th graders will be working on letters to send off to service members for the holidays this week.

There will be no spelling or vocab tests/homework this week.  Happy holidays!

Week of December 10th

6th Grade: These pages are found in the Spelling Packet students receive weekly.
            Monday -- First Section ONLY  p. 45
            Tuesday -- All of  p.46
            Wednesday -- All of  p. 47
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Spelling test


7th Grade:  These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 7 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 7A p. 64-65           
            Tuesday --  Section 7B and 7C  p.65-66
            Wednesday --  Section 7D p. 67
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

8th Grade: These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 8 Work Book.
              Monday -- Section 7A p. 67-68
            Tuesday --  Section 7B and 7C  p.69-70
            Wednesday --  Section 7D p. 71
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

Vocab Tests Returned

The vocabulary tests were returned to the 7th and 8th graders today.  We discussed some more study strategies as well, but I cannot emphasize enough that a little studying every day helps! When I survey the class, I see very few hands raised for studying more than the day before the test.

Keep an eye out for those tests and have a great weekend!

Week of December 3rd

There will be no spelling or vocab tests this week.

7th Grade: 
         Tonight:  Read the "Evaluating Websites" article.  Highlight and take notes on the most important ideas.  There will be a short quiz on the information in the article and you will be able to use your notes.
        
          For the week:  Be sure to have at least one article printed on your persuasive essay topic for Friday.

8th Grade:
         The advertisment for your group is due on Thursday.  Presentations of your advertisement and product are on Friday.

6th Grade:
        Spelling tests are going home today.

Vocab Tests Returned

I will be returning the vocab tests from Nov. 16th today.  I do apologize for the delay, but I had to wait until several students that were absent made up the test.  I did make sure to post the grades on PASS last week though, so you can always check the grades there.  Thank you for your patience and understanding!  Have a great weekend!

Week of Nov. 26th Homework

6th Grade: These pages are found in the Spelling Packet students receive weekly.
            Monday -- First Section  p. 41
                    Bring in a clipping of an Advertisement (from internet, newspaper,
                      magazine).  This is due Friday/
            Tuesday -- All of  p.42
            Wednesday -- All of  p. 43
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Spelling test; Advertisement clipping due

7th Grade:  These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 7 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 6A p. 54-55           
            Tuesday --  Section 6B and 6C  p.55-57
            Wednesday --  Section 6D p. 57
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

8th Grade: These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 8 Work Book.
              Monday -- Section 6A p. 57-58
            Tuesday --  Section 6B and 6C  p.58-60
            Wednesday --  Section 6D p. 60
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

Nifty Site

The following site is useful for learning about finding credible sources on the internet.

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html

MyAccess Scary Story Extension

I will be extending the due date for the scary story to Monday, Nov. 26th.  So many students have been getting really involved in these stories and I don't want to force them to end their stories prematurely.  Students are welcome to work on them during break, but after that they are done and I need to start grading them.  Just please remember to hit "submit" and then "final submit" when finished with writing prompts.  Have a lovely break!

Week of November 19th

There will be no HW this week; however, the MyAccess Scary Story prompt is due tomorrow.  If students feel they need more time, they are welcome to work on it at home or to come to my classroom during lunch to work as well.

Also, last week's spelling tests are being returned to the 6th Graders today.

I hope everyone has a lovely holiday this week!

Week of Nov. 12th (seriously... November!?)

Students are getting their rubrics back for their Power Point Presentations (except for 8th grade who are still finishing up presentations).  One side is for their actual Power Point slides.  The other is for their oral presentation.  All students did very well despite their nerves!  I have been really impressed by these.

6th Grade: These pages are found in the Spelling Packet students receive weekly.
            Monday -- Matching Word Meaning Only  p. 37
            Tuesday -- All of  p.38
            Wednesday -- All of  p. 39
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Spelling test

7th Grade:  These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 7 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 5A p. 44-45           
            Tuesday --  Section 5B and 5C  p.45-46
            Wednesday --  Section 5D p. 47
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

8th Grade: These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 8 Work Book.
              Monday -- Section 5A p. 47-48          
            Tuesday --  Section 5B and 5C  p.48-49
            Wednesday --  Section 5D p. 50
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

Update

There has been no HW this week due to some students' lack of electricity.  We will be getting back to our regular scheduled programing next week.  Until then!

Vocab Test 4 returned today!

Just letting parents know to expect the last vocab test home today! 

A few words on studying for the Wordly Wise Vocab Tests:

Some students are struggling with these and from what I've gathered from surveying the class, not enough students are spending some time studying these words every day.  This is very important because the test doesn't merely require students to memorize the definition, they really need to know the word (synonyms, antonyms, how it is used in a sentence, etc.). 

What I have suggested to students is that they focus on five words on Monday, another five on Tuesday, the last five on Wednesday, and review all the words on Thursday.  This way they can get deeper into studying the words and it's not overwhelming because they only focus on five at a time. 

I hope this helps!  But I cannot express enough that just cramming the words the night before will not help you.  You may get away with now and again, but sooner or later it'll catch up to you!

Week of October 22nd

There will be no homework or tests this week.  Students will be working on their Power Point presentations (which will be their quarterly assessment grades).  Students may choose to revise one paper they wrote this marking period for a better grade (please only revise papers that were graded as Bs or below).  If they do they must hand in a their original paper and rubric along with their revised paper.  The students were informed of this several times over the last few weeks.  This is something I'd like to continue every marking period.  I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely fall weather!

6th Grade Spelling Tests

Just letting you know I was able to grade them and hand them back today!  Thanks so much for all your hard work!  Lots of wonderful grades this week!

Homework for Week of Oct. 15th, 2012

We will be working on power point presentations these next two weeks.  Students will present presentation to the class and practice honing their speech skills!
6th Grade: These pages are found in the Spelling Packet students receive weekly.
            Monday -- Crossword Only  p. 33
            Tuesday -- All of  p.34
            Wednesday -- All of  p. 35
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Spelling test

7th Grade:  These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 7 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 4A p. 33-34           
            Tuesday --  Section 4B and 4C  p.34-36
            Wednesday --  Section 4D p. 36
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

8th Grade: These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 8 Work Book.
              Monday -- Section 4A p. 36-37           
            Tuesday --  Section 4B and 4C  p.37-38
            Wednesday --  Section 4D p. 39
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

Returning Vocab Tests

I am returning last week's vocab tests to the 7th and 8th graders today!  Keep an eye out for those!  Also, a reminder that the MyAccess narrative we've been working on since last week is due TOMORROW.  Because we've been working on it for two weeks, it won't be open for the weekend.  I'll be adding the grades to PASS tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Week of October 8th!

Hope everyone is rested up and energized from the 3 day weekend!  No one stayed up late all night for sleep overs right??? ;-)

I am giving back the spelling tests and expository essays today.  I am holding the vocabulary tests from last week until I have some students make them up. 

HW this week:

6th grade:  Work on MyAccess essay.  It is due Friday.

7th and 8th Grade:Work on MyAccess essay.  It is due Friday.  Also, think of a topic for your power point presentation (next week's project)  in which you will present and teach the class something.

Paper Revisions:

Every Marking Period if a student would like to revise one essay that they've written, they are welcome to.  I will give it a new, higher grade if the student improves the essay.  If it isn't improved then their grade stays the same.

Vocabulary and Spelling Tests returned

7th and 8th grade:
Many students did much better on the Vocabulary Tests last week!  I was very impressed.  Parents -- keep an eye out for these vocab tests.  I will be returning them today.


6th Grade:
Spelling tests are also being returned so watch out for those as well! 
            Spelling Tips:  I'd like to encourage the 6th graders to remember to study for spelling tests even if you feel you don't need to. 

• It helps to study with a buddy.  Or, there are lots of computer programs and tools on the Internet (like google translate)  where you can type in a list of words and have it read back to you.  Then you can test yourself. 
• Also,  I like to find smaller words in a spelling word that I know I can spell.  For example, the word "city" is at the end of "electricity."  Knowing small parts of a word helps you spell the whole thing
• Another way to help is to say words funny out loud to yourself in a way that will help you remember how it is spelt.  For example, I'll say "nomineeeeeee!"  to myself, really exaggerating the eeee sound at the end.  That helps me remember that nominee is spelled with two 'E's at the end.

HW for the week of Oct. 1st

October already!?!  Collected all the expository essays and looking forward to reading them.  Thanks everyone for clearly working so hard on these!  This was a fantastic week and you all showed me how motivated and mature you can be! 

6th Grade: These pages are found in the Spelling Packet students receive weekly.
            Monday -- Fill in the Blank Only  p. 29
            Tuesday -- All of  p.30
            Wednesday -- All of  p. 31
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Spelling test

7th Grade:  These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 7 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 3A p. 23-24           
            Tuesday --  Section 3B and 3C  p.24-25
            Wednesday --  Section 3D p. 26
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

8th Grade: These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 8 Work Book.
             Monday -- Section 3A p. 25-26           
            Tuesday --  Section 3B and 3C  p.27-28
            Wednesday --  Section 3D p. 29
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

Vocabulary Tests Graded

The vocab tests are being returned to the 7th and 8th graders today!  Check them out before they disappear.  The second test is this Friday, so students that struggled last week should see what their weakness was and prepare for Friday.  I recommend using flash cards. 

Thanks to everyone that showed up at Back to School Night!   It was such a pleasure meeting with all of you (some of you for the first time!).

Home Work for the week of Sept. 24th

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend so far.  Here is the homework for the week.  Also, a note on our expository essay -- it's due date has been postponed.  Students will be typing up and printing their essays during the beginning of this week.

I would also like to remind students that it is important to study for these Spelling and Vocab Tests.  Flash cards for learning vocab are very effective. 

6th Grade: These pages are found in the Spelling Packet students receive weekly.

            Monday -- Fill in the Blank Only  p. 25
            Tuesday -- All of  p.26
            Wednesday -- All of  p. 27
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Spelling test

7th Grade:  These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 7 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 2A p. 13           
            Tuesday --  Section 2B and 2C  p.14-15
            Wednesday --  Section 2D p. 16
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

8th Grade: These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 8 Work Book.
           Monday -- Section 2A p. 14-15          
            Tuesday --  Section 2B and 2C  p. 16-17        
            Wednesday --  Section 2D p. 18
             Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

This Week's HW

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!  Here is the homework for the week!


6th Grade: 
These pages are found in the Spelling Packet students receive weekly.
            Monday -- Crossword Only  p. 21
            Tuesday -- All of  p.22
            Wednesday -- All of  p. 23
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Spelling test

7th Grade: 
These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 7 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 1A p. 3           
            Tuesday --  Section 1B and 1C  p.4-5
            Wednesday --  Section 1D p. 6
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

8th Grade: 
These pages are found in the Wordly Wise Book 8 Work Book.
            Monday -- Section 1A p. 3-4          
            Tuesday --  Section 1B and 1C  p.5-6
            Wednesday --  Section 1D p. 7
            Thursday -- Study Words
            Friday -- Vocab test

"Piles" homework

Just a reminder, for tonight's HW,7th and 8th graders are to generate 4 piles (or subtopics/categories) from your brainstorm list we worked on in class yesterday.  For each pile add 7-10 details; you will have to add on ideas that weren't necessarily on your original brainstorm list.   Bullets are fine; do not worry about paragraphs or sentences yet.  The goal here is to take a step towards organizing all those wonderful ideas you poured out - or EXPOUNDED - on the page yesterday.  At least fifteen minutes of in-class time was given to work on the HW so some of you might have finished.

6th Graders for Wednesday -- you will generate 4 piles (or subtopics/categories) from your brainstorm list we worked on in class Tuesday.  If you do not finish your piles in class, Wednesday's HW is to create 4 piles each with 7-10 details added to each; you will have to add on ideas that weren't necessarily on your original brainstorm list.  Bullets are fine; do not worry about paragraphs or sentences yet.  The goal here is to take a step towards organizing all those wonderful ideas you poured out - or EXPOUNDED - on the page yesterday. 

Expository Essay Assignment

Hey there, folks!  So the next two weeks we'll be working on our first big essay.  Students are to choose 1 of 2 topics to write about in a 5 paragraph expository essay -- either their dream job or something that they are an expert in.  We will have lots of class time to work on this essay. 

The tenative due date for the final draft: 9/21 

Next week we will start working with our vocab books (7th and 8th grade) and spelling packets (6th grade).

Welcome Back!!!!

It was so wonderful to see you all today!!!  I really looking forward to the rest of the year with you all. 

Just a reminder.  I know you all have plenty of forms to fill out and return from your homeroom.  Just remember to return the Classroom contract (the green sheet you received today) with your and a parent's signature either this week or next.  In return for your diligence I will give you 2 homework passes!!!!

I hope you all enjoyed your first day back as much as I did! See you tomorrow!

Welcome Back Oxford Students!!!!

Well, the summer is over and we are set to embark on another school year together.  I look forward to writing with you all this year!  I'm so happy I get to continue to be on the Oxford Team.  Everyday will be an opportunity to learn something new together and everyday the students and I will aim for...