AGENDA MARCH 31- APRIL 4

Focus: Disability Poster Project

Notes:

*Homework Help on Tuesday after school

*Greg Mortenson, author of Pennies for Peace, will be at JHHS on Wednesday, April 2nd. 8th Graders will attend his speech 6th and 7th periods that day.

*Quarter 3 Recognition is on Friday, April 4th at the Rec. Center from 12:45-2:15. Remember to send swimsuits with your kids if they plan to swim.

Weekly Homework:

Over Spring Break, students need to read a novel that has been recommended to them by another student, teacher, parent, etc. They will be asked to respond in writing to this piece after break. Homework for this week is to decide on a book, check it out, and begin reading.

MONDAY AND TUESDAY:
Work on assembling posters and creating hooks for presentations.

WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY:
Poster Project Presentations

THURSDAY:
WNB #20 and share: Write a letter to a future teenager -- one who will be your age now in 10 years! What advice can you offer? What warnings are necessary?
Check out/begin reading Spring Break selection

QUARTER 3 REFLECTION

Directions: Respond to the questions below in a typed Word document. PLEASE DOUBLE SPACE. You need to write 3-4 sentences or more for each question. Make sure your paper has the proper heading: name, class, date, assignment.

QUARTER 3 REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1) Look back at the goals you set for 3rd Quarter. Which ones have you achieved? Which ones are you still working on?

2) How are you feeling as you prepare to transition to high school? Are you ready? Academically? Socially? Emotionally? Be honest. What are you excited about? What are you nervous about?

3) As we enter 4th Quarter, what skills do you feel are most important for you to review and practice before graduation?

4) How have you changed from the beginning of this school year to the end of this school year?

5) Comment on how our visitors have influenced you this quarter: Kati, Molly, the community forum, Tamora Pierce.

6) How has your writing improved over the course of this year so far? Be specific. What still needs to improve in this area?

7) Reflect on our major projects this quarter: Belief Project, Literature Circles, PAWS preparation. What did you gain from these? How could they be improved?

8) What advice would you offer to incoming 8th Grade students?

AGENDA MARCH 17-21

Foci: PAWS Writing and Literature Circles

Notes:

*PAWS TESTING MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK - kids can bring food and books to read after their testing.

*Friday, March 21 is the end of the quarter. All missing work and extra credit for third quarter (see below) must be in by WEDNESDAY!!!

Weekly Homework:

*Finish Literature Circle books

*Prepare roles for Lit. Circles

MONDAY & TUESDAY:

PAWS WRITING TESTING

WEDNESDAY:
Formal Literature Circle Meeting #4
-Roles
-Questionnaire
-Predict ending of novel

THURSDAY:
Formal Literature Circle Meeting #5
-Roles
-Discuss novel's resolution
-Finalize folders
-plan to present to class on disability from your book/prepare posters

FRIDAY:
Quarter 3 Reflection in iMac lab

Extra Credit Opportunities for 3rd Quarter:

1) Complete podcast and drop it into Open Access Folder: Flammang Final Podcasts

2) Submit work to Wyoming Young Authors Project (deadline is March 14).

3) Submit work to JHMS Literary Magazine - drop into Open Access Folder: Flammang - Lit. Mag. Submissions.

4) Submit Belief Essay to NPR - parent permission needed.

5) Participate in Tamora Pierce's 'Fantasy Writing Workshop' (March 13).

AGENDA MARCH 10-14

Foci: Literature Circles and PAWS Practice

Notes:

*Thanks for attending conferences! It was great to see such a fabulous turnout!

*Young Authors deadline is Friday, March 14

*Formal Lit. Circle meetings this Tuesday and Thursday

*Tamora Pierce will be holding a fantasy writing workshop 7th period this Thursday, March 13. All 8th graders are welcome to attend.

*Homework Help Tuesday after school

*Quarter 3 ends on March 21

*PAWS begins on March 24

Weekly Homework:
*Research your book's disability further.

*Write a 2-chunk paragraph explaining your findings. Use a topic sentence and concluding sentence.

*Lit. Circle reading and role preparation

MONDAY:
-PAWS reading practice
-Finish Daybook pp. 103-106

TUESDAY:
Formal Lit. Circle Meeting #2

WEDNESDAY:

Review homophones, lit. terms, and commas

THURSDAY:
Formal Lit. Circle Meeting #3

FRIDAY:
Punctuation review: semicolons, colons, dashes

AGENDA MARCH 3-6

Foci: Literature Circles and PAWS Practice

Notes:

*NO SCHOOL THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 7!!!*

*Parent/Teacher Conferences from 3-7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.*

*NO HOMEWORK HELP THIS WEEK because of PT Conferences.*

*Wyoming Young Authors submission deadline is March 14. Students can submit poems, essays, and stories. See me for details and submission forms.*

*Third Quarter ends on March 21 -- Quarterly Recognition is scheduled for that afternoon.*

*PAWS Testing begins on March 24.*

Weekly Homework:

1) Literature Circle reading and role preparation

2) Research the disability your book addresses - find 3 facts about your topic

3) Add three new vocab. words from your lit. circle novel to your vocab. list. Record their definitions, three synonyms, one antonym, and use each word in a sentence.

MONDAY AND TUESDAY:

Book Fair talks with Ms. Swiggum

Check out Literature Circle books from Media Center

Meet your groups

Set reading schedule

Get roles and make predictions

WEDNESDAY:

WNB 18: PAWS Writing Practice Round 2

PAWS Writing Rubric

Read and prepare roles

THURSDAY:

Literature Circle Meeting #1

NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY!!!

Weekend Homework:

Read and prepare roles for Literature Circles

AGENDA FEBRUARY 25-29

Foci: Belief Project Wrap-Up and What is a Literature Circle?

Notes: No School Friday, March 7 (next Friday)

***If students would like to bring small tokens of appreciation to present to Kati and Molly in thanks for their work, have them ready for Wednesday.***

NO WEEKLY HOMEWORK THIS WEEK


MONDAY:
Community Forum 8:45-10:15
Catch-up periods: 4,5,6

TUESDAY:
All Belief Project work must be in and on display boards by today: collage, poem, essay!!!
Web Quest - Vocabulary Games
Apostrophe Practice

WEDNESDAY:
Belief Project Celebration with Mrs. Hoelscher's classes and Molly and Kati!!!

THURSDAY:
Mrs. Swiggum (media center director) will be here introducing our Literature Circle novel selections. Students will vote according to interest, and be grouped according to preference. These groups will function as 3rd and 4th quarter base groups. The theme for our Literature Circles is disability/disease/handicap. We will be exploring the realities and practical implications of autism, leukemia, muteness, cerebral palsy, and blindness, as presented in these works. This project will span five weeks. The selections include:

1. Al Capone Does my Shirts by Jennifer Coldenko

2. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

4. Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

5. Touch the Top of the World by Erik Weihenmayer

FRIDAY:
Begin Literature Circles
Meet your group

WEEKEND HOMEWORK:
Begin your reading according to group schedule and prepare your discussion sheets according to roles.

Outsiders Skits