Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Students will work on their grammar project.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Thanksgiving holiday
A special note of thanks for supporting the teachers on 8-Blue who work tirelessly to educate your children. Your kind words of encouragement have meant more than you can fathom. When I count my blessings, I include parents like you.
Additional note: No journal entry this week.
December 1, 2008 Grammar projects are due this Friday. After quering students today, many report that they have NOT done any work on their project since last Tuesday. They are fully aware that this project is 25% of their grade. This week we will review capitalization rules. After each review, exercises will be completed in class. During the last 15 minutes of class students will be allowed to: work on their project, review vocabulary words (3rd period), or review additional capitalization rules in the handbook or workbook. Students in third period will take their SAT vocabulary test this Thursday.
December 4, 2008 @ 11:05 p.m. SAT vocabulary words were given to my 3rd period class today. The words are: altruism(n); allege(v); martyr(n); renovate(v); solace(n); cognizant(adj); crass(adj); profound(adj); surmise(v); and irate(adj). The test is NEXT Thursday.
Monday, December 8, 2008 No "Do Now" because of MAP testing. Homework tonight: complete page 270, 271, and 272 in your grammar workbook. Turn the homework in no later than 8:25 tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 Guided practice on capitalization rules.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 Mini lesson on misplaced and dangling modifiers with a class exercise.
The class will also include an introduction to descriptive essay writing with an assigned topic.
Thursday, December 11, 2008 The writing process: prewriting and rough draft.
Friday, December 12, 2008 Students will continue working on their expository essay (body paragraphs) and sign for their capitalization take-home test.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 @ 4:48
I am appalled that many students chose not to complete their homework last night. I have emphasized many times that homework reinforces what was taught in class. In order to provide students with a rigorous educational experience, they must participate in it. I spent a week and a half reviewing capitalization rules (ELA8C1.g), and the homework was an opportunity for students to improve their grade. They were allowed to use their grammar handbook and the workbook. Parents, please check your child's agenda book for daily assignments. Thanks for your help.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 ELA8W1, ELA8W4 and ELA8C1
Today, students worked on their prewriting and rough draft of their expository essay. Final essays are due Thursday at the end of class. They must be in blue or black ink.
Yesterday, students received their expository writing topic for their essay. They also looked at a sample essay where the student did not meet the standards, and they looked at a sample essay that exceeded the standards. We discussed the domains of how a paper is evaluated/scored, and we defined thesis statement with an example.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 Students will revise their rough draft and start on their final draft.
Thursday, December 18, 2008 Students will proofread their final draft and turn it in.
I have received many positive comments about the brochure project. Many students were surprised that the application of grammar facts to a real-world situation was an arduous task. In spite of this, many turned in professional quality brochures that are displayed outside of my door. Can students meet and/or exceed high teacher expectations? Yes they can.
Homework for today and yesterday: Go online and look at examples of expository essays.
12/17/2008 Students were given the opportunity to take their expository essay home to work on it. The prewriting (graphic organizer), rough draft, rough draft with revisions on it, and the final draft are due tomorrow by the end of each period. The final must be WRITTEN (script or cursive) in blue or black ink. Students were also given a copy of an essay with the same topic to use as a guide. We discussed the essay and each domain which received a score of 5: ideas, style, organization and conventions. Students were given a caveat: Do not plagiarize the essay.
January 7, 2009 ELA8W1 (a,b,c,d,e); ELA8W2 (a,b,c,d,e,f,g); ELA8C1 (a,b,e,g) Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday students will revise their 12/17/2008 expository essay. Students were given a scoring rubric along with a detailed explanation of each domain. They have an opportunity to earn 20 points. In order for students to become proficient in expository writing, they must be exposed to numerous examples. Therefore, I have instructed them (homework) to go online each night and read examples of expository essays.
Friday, January 9, 2009 Persuasive essay writing
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