September 9/10, 2008

September 9/10, 2008
Today students are doing a pretest of their writing skills on MyAccess. If a student is absent today, he or she should arrange to stay after school to complete the test.

We are also reading more of The Outsiders and discussing the meaning of CONFLICT in a story, and learning about various types of conflict.
Students who have not finished their homophone mini-posters should complete those today while we play a game about CONFLICT.
Try these sites for more information about conflict:
Here is some information about four types of conflict.
We talk about five types of conflict:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. the Unknown (supernatural, diety, fate)
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Himself

And here is another teacher's information about conflict.

Vocabulary Game

I've placed a vocabulary game from the Readers' Digest at the bottom of this page. It's a real challenge -- difficult words and timed. Try it out. This could be fun to do with a parent.

More about Reading Logs

Reading Logs

This is to be handed in every week.

This log, of reading done outside of class in the selected and approved novel, is worth 5 points per day for 5 days. (Of course, you could read - and record- on the other days of each week too.)

It should be handed in on the last day you are in class for the week -- Thursday or Friday.
For each day you read, make sure you summarize what you have read that day, and add impressions, connections, or wonderings (questions) in the space provided.

Pages read should be recorded like this: "page 20 - 34." In other words, record the page you started on that day, and the page you finished on.

If you are a fast reader -- a devourer of books-- read for about 20 pages or so, then stop to record on the log. You could do this every 20 pages or so. You need not record every time you finish 20 or so pages. You just need 4 or 5 entries for the week.
When you finish one book, keep the reading log for the next book you start. You still need to hand in a log once a week.

September 5, 2008

September 5/8, 2008
Students turned in their reading logs for the past week.
Start another.

Students completed the "Outsiders Opinionaire."

Commonly Confused Words from the Utah State Seventh Grade Core
We started studying ten sets of commonly confused words (homophones) from our seventh grade core. By September 23/24 every student should know these well and spell them correctly on all written work. Go to this page on my web pages to see a chart of these words.

Student pairs made mini-posters for assigned sets of homophones. If you were not here, see the absent envelope for your period on the back white board.

September 3/4, 2008

September 3/4, 2008
Self-Starter: Finish up the Outsiders (Slang) Vocabulary sheet.
Student Target:
I can activate and add to my background knowledge before I read.
Readers will better understand and remember what they read when they activate (access) what they already know about the topic, and, if needed, add to that knowledge whatever they need to better understand as they read.
The following activities were to activate any schema (background knowledge) the students already had about the 1960's, and to add to that schema:
We listened to some music from the 50's as students finished up their vocabulary (60's slang) sheet.
We watched a small portion of a Paul Newman movie from the 60's (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-- the part where they are running from the posse and jump from the cliff into the river), pretending we were in a darkened movie theater (with popcorn), then listened to and read the beginning of The Outsiders. "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home."

Student Target:
I can recognize and define exposition in a story or novel.
Seventh grade students need to
 a. Identify narrative plot structure (e.g., exposition, rising action, climax, falling action,
resolution). (Utah State Core, Standard 1, Objective 3a.) Today we worked on understanding what exposition is.
Exposition is the beginning of a story or novel which introduces the characters, setting, and situation. (The word is from the Latin for "to set forth, explain.")

Student Target:
I can recognize and describe a realistic (contemporary) novel.
The Outsiders is a realistic (contemporary) novel.

Realistic Fiction in a Modern Setting has these characteristics:

Characters: presents fictional characters who behave in realistic ways
Setting: takes place in modern times; a recognizable sort of place
Plot: has a plot that makes sense and that ends with a solution to the problem
A problem to solve: The main characters are involved in a conflict or dilemma (This genre is also called "Life Problems.")
Description: Places, events and characters are vividly described
Dialogue: The characters' words show their personalities and also move the plot along
(adapted from Teaching Genre by Tara McCarthy)

Extra Credit Opportunity

Expired with end of first term.
Extra Credit Opportunity

Here's your chance to earn 5 points of extra credit! Just tell me what the featured book is for this week, and tell me a little of what you found out about the book and/or author. This opportunity expires September 12.

The featured book of the week is Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George, a local author.
Genre: fantasy
More information: based on a Nordic legend
To learn more about the book and author, go to http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/Books/SunAndMoon/Default.aspx

August 29/September 2, 2008

August 29/September 2, 2008

Self-Starter: We did another puzzler, similar to the one we did last time, and we talked about prepositions, since they are the keys to solving many "puzzlers."

1. Students took the spelling test on the names of our school administrators, their seventh grade counselor, and their teachers.

2. We practiced filling out the "Reading Logs," using a picture book, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins.

3. We started a vocabulary challenge to prepare to read the novel The Outsiders. The challenge is to match slang terms from the early 1960's with their meanings. We did a little in class, and students should do their best to finish matching the terms by next time. Parents and grandparents, and others, are welcome to help.