Weeks 21-22: January 11-22, 2016

Week 21: January 11-15

This week students learned and practiced how to successfully add effective introductory and concluding paragraphs to ACES paragraphs. Because students have already mastered how to write an ACES paragraph, incorporating them into a full explanatory essay was a natural step.
Also, students continued to read and submit their i-Read equivalencies - number 7 was due Friday, January 15.

Week 22: January 19-22

No school will be held on Monday, January 18th in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. so, we will begin the week on Tuesday, January 19.
Students will begin the week showing their mastery of the Explanatory essay, writing one on their own based on 2 SCOPE Magazine articles. Tuesday, students will read the articles and write their rough draft, using the foldable tool they learned during the previous week. Then Wednesday and Thursday, students will type their essay into a Google Doc and share it with me via e-mail. They will be graded on the quality of their introduction, conclusion, and use of transitions.
And finally, those students who just have a little to left to finish on the SAGE interim will called in during FLEX time throughout the week. Those who had not started the second of the two tests, will not be asked to complete it.

After Janaury 22: Coming up next:
After we complete the Explanatory essays, we will spend all our time on the history fair projects; deepening research, enriching it with pictures, video clips, music, and other types of sources to make the final projects shine.
After we complete the Explanatory essays, we will begin a fun Literature Unit, exploring several literature genre, practicing CLOSE reading and comprehension skills while we read.
In addition, we will concentrate on Greek and Latin roots and affixes, and of course, continue our i-Reads.

Week 20: January 5-8, 2016

Welcome Back! I want to thank all of my wonderful students for the kind (and funny) notes they left for me to find when I came back from my surgery. You are all so dear to me.
I hope all you had a wonderful Christmas holiday and are ready to get to work again.

This is going to be an easy, but important, week.

• Students will go the library Tuesday and will be given a new resource information question on how to use an Atlas. 
• Then, Wednesday - Friday students will complete the SAGE reading and writing interim test. This will give students a good feel for how they will be tested later this year and give them an opportunity to assess what they need to work on between now and that time. 
• And finally, the trimester's 6th i-Read is due Friday, so please keep reading.

Also, I'd like to challenge students to read the i-Read equivalencies required for the 40-Club. This includes completely filling a bingo sheet + 4 additional books. Remember,  students will get a really cool T-shirt and be able to go on the 40-Club field trip later this spring. It's a great goal that will help ensure higher reading skills and a great love of reading.

Week 19: December 14-18, 2015

Hi class and Parents -

Because life has thrown me a real curve-ball and I will not be in class this Wednesday - Friday, students – you will not be able to pass-off i-reads, but you will be able to complete any missing work at home and turn it in before the break.

Mr. Morgan is scheduled to be your sub, so work hard, have fun, and I’ll see you after Christmas.

Here's this week at-a-glance.

Week 19: December 14-18 Period 1-5 Students may be watching the movie The Good Lie  Thursday and Friday if they finish the book  A Long Walk to Water.	Monday December 14 Short PLC day Midterms sent home	Tuesday December 15	Wednesday December `16 LA FLEX priority SUB	Thursday December 17 SUB	Friday December 18 Tomorrow Christmas break begins SUB
	* SSR *A Long Walk to Water	* SSR + i-Reads *A Long Walk to Water *ACES-OREO review	* SSR + i-Reads * A long Walk to Water	* CFA – ACES & OREO paragraphs * SSR + i-Reads *The Good Lie ?	* i-Reads = #5due *A Long Walk to Water *The Good Lie?

Week 17: November 30 - December 4

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving break and is ready to start a new book.

*We'll be reading A Long Walk To Water  which is based on the real life stories of 2 young people in Southern Sudan: Nya - in 2008 and Salva Dut, one of Sudan's Lost Boys, - in 1985 and how their stories merge, bringing needed change to many in this region of Africa.

*Students are continuing their independent i-Reads. #3 equivalency is due Friday, December 4. All due dates are on the right side of the blog.

*Here's the week's schedule at-a-glance:

Week 17: November 30-December 4	Monday November 30 Sub –	Tuesday December 1	Wednesday December 2LA FLEX priority	Thursday December 3	Friday December 4
	*Library *December Scope = free read	* SSR + i-Reads *Intro – A long Walk to Water	* SSR + i-Reads * A long Walk to Water	* SSR + i-Reads * A Long Walk to Water	* i-Reads = #3 due *A Long Walk to Water

Weeks 15 and 16: November 16-24, 2015

2nd Trimester is going great. Students have completed their 2nd Trimester's benchmark tests,  have learned how to write OREO-style argumentative paragraphs, and are actively reading their 10 required i-Reads for this trimester. This is what we've been doing day-by-day:

Week 16:
Monday, November 23: Make-up day - students are able to read/get caught-up on their i-Reads, complete any OREO or creative writing, or make-up any benchmark tests they missed.
Tuesday, November 24: Geck-a-thon - support those running in this event + Vivid Verb Poetry
Wednesday-Sunday, November 25-29: Thanksgiving break - be sure to have fun and READ!!!!

Week 15:
Monday, November 16: Reading Benchmarks = STAR and GM vocab + SSR/i-Reads
Tuesday, November 17: Reading Benchmarks = GM Comprehension + SSR/i-Reads
Wednesday, November 18: Lion King = Literature in Action/School Play
Thursday, November 19: OREO paragraph-writing: Are Insects a Viable Source of Protein in the Future?
Friday, November 20: Creative Writing: Bus Stop to "Dream Where"

Trimester 2 begins - Week 14: November 9-13, 2015

Wow! We have already completed 1/3 of the school year. Great things were accomplished and there's more to be done this trimester as well.
This week we'll finish-up the explanatory paragraph unit as students write a paragraph related to the class novel, Kokopelli's Flute. Then we'll move right into argumentative paragraph writing using the OREO method. Yep - cards and cookies will help students remember how to do these 2 types of writing. Who would have thought.

Here's the week at a glance:

Week 14: November 9-13	Monday November 9	Tuesday November 10	Wednesday November 11 LA FLEX priority	Thursday November 12	Friday November 13 Sub – UCTE conference
	*ACES – Kokopelli’s Flute topic	*Meet in Library *OREO - intro	* SSR + i-Reads *OREO – Class Practice: Is Technology killing our friendships?	* SSR + i-Reads *OREO – Table practice: Should kids do extreme sports?	* i-Reads = #1 due *OREO – Table practice: Should kids do extreme sports? Finish-share

November 2-6, 2015: Week 13 - Trimester Ends

Unbelievable! Our first trimester ends this Friday. Students have been introduced to, and now understand, some important literary concepts. They have learned the parts of the plot and the significance of each. They can now use transition words correctly and how to successfully enrich their own writing with Smiley-Face tricks. They have also learned how to use context clues while reading to help them determine the meaning of new or unusual words. They have read a magical realism book, Kokopelli's Flute, together in class and have applied all their new skills to that book in addition to their own independent reading. And finally we are winding-up the trimester by introducing students to the ACES strategy for writing explanatory essays. All-in-all, it's been an extremely productive trimester.

Remember - get your i-read's in as fast as possible & don't forget your Utah Expedition Questions, too.
Here's our last week-at-a-glance:

Week 13: November 2- FLEX : *i-reads + personal narrative	Monday November 2	Tuesday November 3	Wednesday November 4 LA FLEX priority	Thursday November 5	Friday November 6 = short day SUCON
	*ACES = we do *Lost Boy video *Kokopelli’s Flute	*ACES = table do *Scope article	*ACES = you do *Kokopelli’s Flute-based articles	* ACES  = finish solo- paragraphs + Quiz * SSR + i-Reads	*SSR + i-reads *End of Trimester 1

Week 12: We'll try to finish-up Kokopelli's Flute and get as many i-reads as possible passed-off.

Week 12: October26-30 FLEX : *i-reads + personal narrative	Monday October 26 Wear Red	Tuesday October 27 Wear Warrior colors	Wednesday October 28 Hat Day LA FLEX priority	Thursday October 29 Crazy Hair Day	Friday October 30  Costume Day
	*Monday Write = nightly transformation? *Kokopelli’s Flute *SSR+I-Reads	*Meet in Library *Kokopelli's Flute	*Kokopelli's Flute *SSR + I-Reads	**Introduce ACES  *Kokopelli's Flute * SSR + i-Reads	*SSR + i-reads *Halloween Activity *Leany Loot Drawing

Week 11's Activities

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AT PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES!!! Over 50% of the students had parents come. It was great to meet so many of you and chat about your awesome students!!!

Hope everyone had a great fall break and is ready to get back into the swing-of-things!  This week we are finishing-up our study of transition words and context clues with the Common Formative Assessment (CFA). We're still reading Kokopelli's Flute, anxiously anticipating how Tepary is going to resolve the conflict...want to know what it is? Ask your student!!!
Here's Our week-at-a-glance - Be sure to note the i-Read that's due Friday!!!

Week 11: Mrs. Leany’s 1st-5th period LA classes
Week 11: October 19-23 FLEX : *i-reads + personal narrative	Monday October 19	Tuesday  October 20	Wednesday October 21 Gecko Gold activity	Thursday October 22	Friday October 23
	*Context Clues = Synonyms & examples *Kokopelli’s Flute *Check PN grade = return papers *SSR	*Context Clues = antonyms & Inference *Kokopelli’s Flute *Check PN grade = return papers *SSR	*Genre *Context/Transitions final practice *Kokopelli’s Flute *SSR	*CFA #2 *Genre *Kokopelli’s Flute *SSR	*Genre *Kokopelli’s Flute *SSR I-read #8 is due & I-reads #7 becomes a "0" + #9-10 are due next Friday!!!

Week 9: October 5th - 9th

Last week was great. Parents, Thanks so much for coming to Parent-Teacher conferences; it was terrific to visit with you about our favorite topic...your children!

This week - week 9, we'll be ...

...finishing the Personal Narrative. It will be due Monday. During this unit, students have learned the function of transition words and also how to enhance their writing with what we call "Smiley Face Tricks," giving their stories many more specific details, expanding the action, and creating more vivid images with figurative language.

... continuing the class novel, Kokopelli's Flute. Students will apply their knowledge of the plot structure to this story and will also practice using context clues to understand words they might not be familiar with. They will also be reading actively: asking questions, making connections, speculating on predicting what will come next, and then revising or confirming those as they continue to read.

... working on i-Reads; # 7 will be due Friday. Please remember, students may choose their own titles and genres. Fun incentives are in place to read a lot and to read widely: Bingo and the 40-club, so Keep Reading!!!!!

Week 8 - September 28-October 2, 2015

This will be a wonderfully busy week as we finish-up the Personal Narrative, continue our novel, and have parent-teacher conferences.  Please read below for the week-at-a-glance

Week 8: September 28 – October 2 FLEX : *i-reads + personal narrative	Monday September 28	Tuesday  September 29	Wednesday September 30 P-T CONFERENCES LA priority = FLEX	Thursday Octber 1 P-T CONFERENCES 3 -6:30	Friday October 2  i-Read #6 due
	*Book Fair preview *Personal Narrative = Peer conference	* Meet in Library *Kokopelli’s Flute	*SSR + genre *Kokopelli’s Flute *PN = last revision	*PN –types final paper google-docs	*PN –types final paper google-docs +i-reads

WEEK 7: SEPTEMBER 21-25

THIS IS MIDTERM WEEK!!!
         * PROGRESS REPORTS WILL COME HOME TUESDAY!
         * #5 I-READ IS DUE FRIDAY

I know the students are up to the i-Read challenge, especially since they can choose their own books. This is a wonderful way for students to build fluency, comprehension, and discover how much fun reading can be!!!!

This week will be busy. We'll be doing the following:

Monday: Short PLC Day
  *Personal Narrative's 3rd draft - we'll learn about Smiley-face tricks and add them to the 3rd draft,
    making the narratives much more descriptive and fun to read.

Tuesday:
   * SSR + i-Read check-offs for the first 10 minutes
   *Personal Narrative's 3rd draft will be due at the end of class, so students will need to use their time      wisely - They'll turn-in all 3 drafts at the end of class.

Wednesday:
   *Literary genre introduced + SSR + i-Read check-offs for the first 10 minutes
   * We'll read our class novel, Kokopelli's Flute the rest of class.

Thursday:
   *Literary genre introduced + SSR + i-Read check-offs for the first 10 minutes
   * We'll read our class novel, Kokopelli's Flute the rest of class.

Friday: Midterms!!!
   * Book Commercials = a great way for students to earn bonus points -
           when they share a book they've read and loved!!!
    *SSR + i-Read check-offs  for the rest of class -
            hopefully this will help students get all 5 i-Reads in.

WEEK 6 - SEPTEMBER 14-18, 2015

We are going to have a great WEEK 6!

Monday: Students will continue their Personal Narrative writing, adding TRANSITION words/phrases to their 2nd draft.
Tuesday: This is Library day, and students will meet in the library. They may select a book or finish last week's Ultimate Utah Expedition Question ( Remember students must do 2 of the 3 for academic credit). Then, we will go back to the classroom to continue reading our class novel, Kokopelli's Flute.
Wednesday: We will start with SSR and learn about another genre of literature. We will spend the rest of the class reading our class novel.
Wednesday is also LA Priority day: Those who scored 15 or below on the CFA-1 PLOT must have their purple quizlet paper signed to be able to retake the test.
Thursday: We will start with SSR and learn about another genre of literature. We will spend the rest of the class reading our class novel.
Friday: We will start with SSR and bonus-point Book Commercials. We will spend the rest of the time doing a Scope Magazine activity.
i-Read book equivalency #4 is due Friday, keep reading!!!! Already we have a couple of "bingos"!!!

Week 5: September 8-11, 2015

Hi again!

This week we're going to start a new unit - The Novel and Personal Narrative.

We'll be starting the personal narrative by writing a first draft on Monday; we'll revisit/revise this narrative each Monday for the next few weeks, concentrating on the Smiley-Face-Tricks and the use of transitions to expand the original draft.

On Wednesday, we'll begin our novel unit by doing a pre-reading internet activity.

On Thursday, we'll correct this and begin reading the novel - the great magical-realism book: Kokopelli's Flute by Will Hobbs.

On Friday, we'll identify the book's exposition, following-up with the students' knowledge of the plot.

SPECIAL REMINDER - I-READ'S BOOK 3 EQUIVALENCY IS DUE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

HERE'S THE WEEK AT-A-GLANCE:

Leany =Week 5: September 8-11 Classes: 1,3,4,5 FLEX : *CFA #1 = make-up/finish *Benchmarks make-ups	Monday No School = labor day	Tuesday  September 8	Wednesday September 9 LA priority = FLEX	Thursday September 10	Friday September 11 i-read Book 3 is due
		*finish presenting MI/learning style posters *Personal Narrative = draft 1	*SSR + genre *Kokopelli’s Flute = internet activity	*SSR + genre *Kokopelli’s Flute = correct activity + begin reading	*SSR + book commercials *Kokopelli’s Flute + exposition + reading