Thursday, September 15, 2011

Monday, September 19, 2011

After school on the 19th:  I forgot that today was Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Arrrggg!  I'm such a landlocked lubber!  However, if you're looking at this after school, you could still talk like a pirate this evening!  I'm going to.    Here's some piratical vocabulary:  Pirate Talk
By the way, my favorite pirate book is   Pirates! by Celia Rees which is an historical fiction book about women pirates (women who become pirates) in the Caribbean.   It's a long book, but very exciting, and is recommended for students in 6th through 9th grade.   



Today's self-starter:  Pick up your composition book. Read through the blue sheet on your desk.
If you finish early, study your commonly confused words.  If more time, read your novel.

Blue sheet:  You could download this to help you prepare for the assessment on Friday.  Notice the grading rubric on the second page.
BoM Assessment for Sep prep.doc

2. Interrogative or Declarative?  Changing a question into a statement when you writes answers to questions on tests and quizzes. 
Examples:
Interrogative:  What did you do over the weekend
Changed to Declarative :  Over the weekend I. . . . . .

Notice that you're borrowing words from the question.  

For your book assessment on Friday, the first sentence of your answer should change the question into a statement.  Examples: 
Interrogative:  Why do you think the author gave the book this title?
Changed to Declarative:  The author gave the book Holes this title because. . . .
Sometimes the "question" will come in the form of a statement (Imperative) such as "Explain the setting of this book."  You'd change it to begin your answer something like this:
"The setting of the book Stargirl is. . . . "

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3.  Reading The Outsiders (and listening to the audio book) -- Watch for and record cause and effect relationships under "Events/Episodes in The Outsiders" in the middle of your composition book.)
A1 from top of page 44, chapter  3  12:15 to page 57  --(disk 45, track 1, 19:16)
A2 from page 37, beginning chapter 3 to page  49 (disk 45, track 1, 7:19)
A3  from page 40, Chapter 3 ( 5:11)  to page 51  (disk 45, track 1, 10:14)
A4 from  page 45, Chapter 3   (page 45, track 1) to page 58   (disk 45, track 1, 21:15)

Cause-effect: Examples
Cherry and Marcia are walking with the Greaser boys because they had left their boyfriends and the Greasers were helping them get home.
Johnny and Ponyboy are so tense and nervous because they're tired of living in a place where there is so much conflict between Socs and Greasers and where they are always the underdogs.

Episodes:  We finished the episode at the drive-in movie.  We read the episode at the vacant lot and Ponyboy's home where Darry slaps Ponyboy and Pony runs away.  We read part or all of  the episode at the park.

  • Spelling retake is available during Cave Time beginning September 15. 
  • Don't forget to be reading your book-of-the-month.  See the questions for the assessment under the Book-of-the-Month tab above.  You will write your answers in class on September 23.  
  • If you haven't finished or haven't taken the SRI, please use a Cave Time to go to computer lab 223 (by Peet and Heng) to take the test.  Mrs. John knows how to help you get in and take the test.  Please go knowing your own student number.  Let me know when you've taken it so I can enter your points.
  • If you haven't taken or haven't finished the main idea pretest, see me. 

If you'd like to order Scholastic Books online, and benefit our classroom, go to http://pcool.scholastic.com/parentordering/login.jsp register, and enter code GKLJW.
To order through me without going online, bring me the filled out order form and a check written to Scholastic Book Orders. 
I'll be sending in orders on September 23, or sooner if I get enough orders. 
Order forms are available on the rolling table at the back of the room near the door. 

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Notes for your information:
What does it take for a complete sentence?  A complete sentence makes a complete thought.
Do each of these show complete sentences?  Which are and which aren't?

1. a. "The bird Darzee.   1.b. Because he really did not do anything other than sing."

2.a.  "I would recommend this book to my sister.    2.b. Because I think she would like this book."

Answers:
Both 1a and 1b are not complete sentences.  The reader can't tell what it is that's being said about the bird.  The reader can't tell what is happening because he doesn't do anything other than sing."  They could be corrected by changing them something like this: "I would change the bird Darzee in this story because he really did not do anything other than sing."

The sentence 2a is a complete sentence.  The sentence 2b is not a complete sentence.  It only gives part of a thought.  It  needs to be combined with 2a to create a complete sentence:  "I would recommend this book to my sister because I think she would like this book."
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Extra Credit: 
Questions you could discuss with your parents:
Are richer people better than poorer people?
Is it their own fault that poorer people are poorer and richer are richer?
Discuss either or both of these questions with a parent or guardian, and turn in a brief summary (4 to 10 sentences) about what conclusions you came to.  Have the parent or guardian sign it.