LIBRARY DAY!

Look at this list of books I heard about today!

The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
See You At Harry's by Jo Knowles
The False Prince and The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Neilsen
Infinity Ring by Jennifer A. Neilsen
The Underworld Chronicles (3 books) by Jennifer A. Neilsen
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
The Fault In Our Stars,  
An Abundance of Katherines,
Will Grayson Will Grayson,
and Paper Towns (all) by John Green
After Eli by Rebecca Rupp
Pinned by Sharon Flake
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson 
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper 

Most of these are recommendations of the one and only Phil Bildner, visiting author to Auburn Middle School. He was amazing! Some of the other titles are from my brilliant students. Thanks to you!

All Classes:

You have a WOD quiz tomorrow! Rock it!

Periods 1 & 2:

Your research paper is due any day next week. Take breaks, but make sure you're doing a little good work each night. I'm available for questions.

Periods 3 & 7:

Your essay is due tomorrow!

Period 5:

Your research papers are due any day this week!

WOD quiz today :)

More books!

The Wheel of Time
A Mango-Shaped Space
Runner
Erec Rex Series
Dragon Keeper
Pendragon Series
100 Cupboards
The Book Theif
I Am Number 4 Series
Fever Crumb
Shoebag
Looking for Normal
The Maze Runner Trilogy
Brotherband Chronicles
Bridge to Terabithia
The Help
The Infernal Devices
The House of Night
The Immortals, Nicholas Flammel
Read To You
The Redwall Series
Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
The Uglies Series
Divergent
The Xanth Series
The Hollow
The Riddle
Fablehaven
The Wheel of Time
The Shoemaker's Wife
Every Soul A Star
The Water Walkers
Skinned 

Sub today! See you Monday!!!

Reading SOL:

8th grade: tomorrow

7th grade: Thursday

Don't stress. You'll be great.

Periods 1 & 2:

Welcome back, Space Campers! I took down the names of those who were not here for the WOD quiz last Thursday. You will take your WOD quiz this Wednesday, which will include the words you missed. I went over those four words in class today for you, so everyone who will take the quiz on Wednesday should have them in his or her WOD notebook and begin studying tonight.

I understand that you may be feeling overwhelmed this week, like anyone would who missed a week of school. I am giving students who were not here last week all of this week to work on their research papers. Yours will be due any day next week. Come to me during lunch with ANY questions you have. Another great place get your questions answered is the Purdue Owl Online Writing Lab. This site answers all questions about how to format an MLA-style paper. Here's a direct link to a sample MLA paper:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/13/

I sincerely hope that you choose to check my website this week to reinforce what I've said in class. I'm getting some lost looks about things I've been over multiple times; it is your job to make sure you pay attention and understand what it is you're supposed to be doing. I'd also kindly ask that the questions you direct at me be respectfully worded. After all, going to Space Camp was your choice. Now you must catch up with your classwork. Your teachers are here to help - stressing won't solve a thing.

HOMEWORK:

Group 1 (non-Space Camp) - your research is due this week. If there are any mistakes, I will hand the paper back to you to go home and fix.

Group 2 (Space Camp) - your research papers will be due next week.  See the above website if you have any questions, or come ask me directly (and respectfully, please!).

Periods 3 & 7:

I passed back a LOT of work - WOD quizzes, Titanic homework assignments, etc. If you did not turn in your ANTR vocabulary or documentary follow along from a couple of weeks ago, it's your job to come check with me and make it right!

Next, we started talking about the project coming up. You'll be choosing a survivor from the shipwreck and creating an authentic journal that you write from that person's perspective. More details about this assignment will be released in the next couple of days. Today I just wanted to give you an idea of the style in which you will be writing. See attached for the samples I showed you today (aren't they funny?).

You got 15 minutes of reading time at the end of class :)

Period 5:

Today I went over the WODs that a handful of you missed from being out last week. You will take your WOD quiz on the first 10 WODS ("venerable" is extra credit) on Wednesday.

I'm going to look through your research papers this week, and hand them back to you if you need to make any corrections. This is not a punishment - it's working to perfect something, which is a learning process. Don't let it stress you out.

I started showing you something we'll  be working on this week - Holocaust analogies in contemporary society. See attached for activity description. We didn't look at any examples today, but we'll be doing it this week before presentations start on Thursday.

HOMEWORK:

Work on the presentation portion of your project :)

Yesterday the 8th graders took the SOLS, and I didn't see anyone but my 1st period. We read the "Monkey's Paw" and got some good chills.

Today was library day, but here are some important things for everyone to remember:

All classes - your Dewey Report is Due June 3rd . Your AR points are due June 7th .

Periods 1 & 2:

Non-space campers, your research papers are due this Friday. 
Space campers, your research papers are due by next Friday.

You signed up for a day to present your project using a visual aid. I showed you some examples and explained what the presentation should include. I passed out the WWII Presentation Rubric to period 1, and I forgot to pass it out in period 2 so I've attached it for you. I'll be sure to pass those out tomorrow.

HOMEWORK:

Do what you gotta do!

Period 5:

Our WWII presentations start TOMORROW! I'm so excited to see all of your hard work pay off!

HOMEWORK:

Work on your visual aid and your presentation!

Periods 3 & 7:

Yesterday, we went over the next writing project in detail. Attached is the journal project description, the rubric for the journal, and a list of anachronisms to avoid. We'll go over all of these tomorrow.

HOMEWORK:

Research a Titanic survivor on the website at the bottom of the project description. Make sure that you have collected (meaning that you have written) all the biographical information you can on your person! I'm excited to see who you chose!

Ughhhewwwwahhhhh...I was sick yesterday. Thanks for being spectacular student speciments in my absence. My substitute said you were awesome, and I am assuredly not shocked. I hope you got some good work done for my class and your other classes.

Right now I have your last WOD test tentatively set for May 29th.

Periods 1 & 2:

I collected the essays that were ready to be handed in today. Please know that it may take some time for me to get back to you with my revisions and suggestions. Remember, if you get it back to make fixes, do not be discouraged. Think of it as an opportunity to perfect the art of research writing. It's a great skill to have after middle school and in the real world! This is a learning experience, so don't think perfection is expected to come easily.

Today we had to do 2 WODs to catch up. There will be no "final" this year, just the 6th test on the last 20 words.

HOMEWORK:

Do yo thang.

Period 5:

We started presentations today. They will continue on Monday! Tuesdays and Wednesdays off (SOLs/Library Days).

HOMEWORK:

Prepare.

Periods 3 & 7:

We went over the list of anachronisms to avoid in your journals. You shared 3 fascinating facts about your survivor with a partner. Some of you have found some FANTASTIC material to work with! I'm soooo geeking out for you!

Monday will be the journal lab, in which you and a team race the clock with nothing but a bucket of materials and directions. Muah hahaha!

HOMEWORK:

Make darn sure you've chosen a survivor and done research on him/her. Start writing if you wish! Your journal entries are due May 24th.  The final journal will be due the following Friday.

Periods 1 & 2:

Your veteran cards are due this Friday.

We continued looking at Holocaust analogies used in contemporary society, and you reflected on each analogy as we looked at images and memes.

HOMEWORK:

Research papers are due this week.

Bring in your veteran card.

Periods 3 & 7:

No WOD today.

We got right to work today on the journal lab!

When you sat down at your work stations in groups of four, you saw a bucket full of materials and instructions. I told you to read the directions carefully before you started, and to communicate clearly with your group to avoid making mistakes. I would not be able to answer questions or provide auxiliary materials.

Groups that worked together, stayed busy by delegating tasks, and communicated clearly and fairly got full credit for today, whether or not you successfully completed your journals. 

HOMEWORK:

Work on your journal entries! Those will be due on Friday, May 24th.

Period 5:

Three more people presented their projects.

I passed back all of the essays you gave me last week with feedback. Please make your corrections and return them to me as soon as possible.

HOMEWORK:

Do what you have to do! Final research papers are due by Friday!

Please bring your presentation rubric to class when it's your turn to present. We adjusted the presentation dates to accomodate for SOLs and the day we lost last week when I was sick. You should know when it's your day to present!

Reminder for everyone:

Dewey Reports are due June 3rd. AR points are due on the last day of school.

The last WOD test is May 29th.

Periods 1 & 2:

SOL testing for Science was this morning, and I had you in my room again for 5th and 6th periods. 

HOMEWORK:

Work on your research papers and/or your visual aid for your presentations (which start at the end of next week - be sure you know which day you're presenting!).

Periods 3 & 7:

We had a great talk today about writing and building these journals. I made a list on the board of the materials I will provide in class and the materials which you are responsible for bringing when we start building your journals for the project:

Me:

String/thread
Sewing needle
Hot glue
Scissors/fancy scissors
Tea/coffee for staining (though this can be done at home as well)
Trapezoidal cardstock to sew into your pages

You:

Cardboard for your hard cover
Paper OR fabric (to bind and cover the cardboard and to use as endpaper)
Any decorations or embellishments you want to add to your journal (initials, flowers, closure, bookmark, pictures, etc.)

We talked about how writing the perfect piece takes hours (or days, even). Nothing is perfect in its first phase. Take the time to write, but also take the time to rewrite. That's when the good stuff happens.

At the end of class, you looked at journals written and built by students last year. You were so impressed, and so will I be when I see YOUR finished products!

HOMEWORK:

Work on writing a journal entry for the project.

Period 5:

I didn't see you today because of SOL testing. Presentations resume Thursday. Please be prepared!

HOMEWORK:

Work on your project if you still have to present.
 

No WOD today. I wanted you to have a full library day. 

I'm seeing that AR points are slowly climbing for many of you; that's so great! I've received so many exciting book recommendations from you, and I hope you share that information with each other, as well! Lots of incredible books out there to be read and loved.

7th graders, tomorow we'll be doing some writing and journal building if you bring your materials. Please be prepared for one or the other. Write every night!

8th graders, be aware of the day that you are presenting your project.

P.S. - Mr. Roll, my dear friend, wasn't in school today. You know what this means! He'll be a dad soon! Think good thoughts for him and his wife in this exciting time!

Periods 1 & 2:

Since no one signed up for presentations today, I contined to edit/grade your research papers and speak with you about the little fixes you should make. Meanwhile, you reviewed your WOD words, since you have a test on Wednesday, May 29th. I feel that we can sacrifice one library day, since you've had all this extra time to read in school because of SOLs.

HOMEWORK:

Write that card for a veteran (due TOMORROW)! Work on your presentations! Fix your paper if I handed it back to you! Or, study your WODs. 

I plan to give more papers back tomorrow.

Periods 3 & 7:

Today some of you started building your journals, and I helped with the hot glue. Some of you sat and wrote, and some of you did a little of both.

HOMEWORK:

Work on your journal entries. Tomorrow, I'll show you how to print them so that they look like the pages of a book. We'll continue to make journal covers tomorrow and all of next week. The sooner you get your writing done, the sooner you can sew in your pages and be done!

WOD test on May 29th, don't forget!

Period 5:

We continued with presentations today, and they were wonderful.

HOMEWORK:

Work on your papers, presentations, or study for your WOD test May 29th. I plan to give more papers back tomorrow.

8th graders - presentations Monday! I returned some papers with edits today. The rest will be returned graded or with edits on Monday.

7th graders - journal workshop (building and writing) continues on Monday! Write over the weekend. Your final journal entries are due next Friday.

P.S. - no more personal devices in class :( I was so bummed to find out that you chose to waste time in class on Instagram instead of researching your Titanic survivor, like you promised me you would. What a shame. 

Periods 1, 2, and 5:

No WOD today.

A few of you presented your projects today. Be sure you know when you're presenting this week!

If after my explanations, you still don't understand what in-text citations are, please come see me during your lunch period. This is very important. Here's a website that explains this futher:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/

HOMEWORK:

Dewey. AR. Turn your research papers in if you haven't already.

Periods 3 & 7:

See attached for your WOD - impenitent (adj.)

We continued writing and building journals. I've attached directions for printing your pages like a journal. We didn't have time to get to it today, so we'll go over that together tomorrow.

HOMEWORK:

Your final journal entries are due this Friday.

Periods 1, 2, & 5:

You took your math SOL today. Tomorrow is library day (maybe your last, so make it count!). Next Wednesday is your final WOD test. 

HOMEWORK:

AR. Dewey. Submit final papers and work on your presentation if you haven't gone already.

Periods 3 & 7:

I went over how to print your journal so that it comes out like the pages of a book. See attached for written directions.

We had a REAL writer's workshop today. We will not be talking and socializing through the period this week. You must use this time to write. If you think you're done, go back and make it better. Writing can always be added to and improved upon. You may share journals amongst yourselves, but in order for a writer's workshop to be successful, there must be silence.

I helped build journals while you wrote.

HOMEWORK:

Final journal entries are due this Friday. Please print out a normal copy for me.

Work on your Dewey Report - those are due June 3.

ALL CLASSES:

AR points are due June 7th. Dewey Reports are due June 3rd.

Today was the last library day of the year! I hope you used it wisely!

Next Wednesday is your last WOD game. Periods 1 and 2 will not be able to play the game because of presentations, but you will still be able download it from the website next week and study with it.

Periods 1, 2 & 5:

Presentations continue tomorrow. Be prepared!

Periods 3 & 7:

Your journal entries are due Friday. One copy will be printed normally and handed to me; the other should be in the form of a book so that you can sew it into your journal and glue in the end pages.