If you were absent on August 13 th , 2018 here’s what we did: (8 th Grade) 1. Today, my students made observations and deductions about my classroom, teaching me the rules for the year. If you were absent today, get the notes (it should be only a few sentences) from a classmate. This will be the first grade for the year! 2. We played a “Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up, Share Up” game to learn a little bit about each other. You don’t have to make this up, but make an effort to
Transcript
If you were absent on
August 13th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. Today, my students made observations and deductions about my classroom, teaching me the rules for the year. If you were absent today, get the notes (it should be only a few sentences) from a classmate. This will be the first grade for the year!2. We played a “Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up, Share Up” game to learn a little bit about each other. You don’t have to make this up, but make an effort to learn a little about the people on your team!3. We learned about Cobb’s new “#Respect” campaign, how to participate, and what it means. See Mrs. Day for a quick explanation.
If you were absent on
August 14th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. Students got a copy of my syllabus, and completed a “Placemat Consensus” before, during, and after reading it. Get a copy of the syllabus from the “Here’s What You Missed” binder in class, and get the second page filled out and signed by Friday!2. We created “Good job, team” cheers for our teams! Your teammates can show you yours when you get back to school.3. Students closely read an article called, “You Can Grow Your Intelligence,” and completed a “Placemat Consensus” on it. You do not have to make up this assignment – it will be excused in your grade report.4. We went over a few classroom policies that we didn’t get to yesterday. If you have any questions about these policies, please ask Mrs. Day!
If you were absent on
August 15th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
Today we were in the Media Center computer lab, building a foundation of computer skills
we’ll build on this year. You should:
1. Go to: http://www.leonschools.net/cobb2. Click “Teachers,” then “Harrington, Day.” 3. Click the + sign next to “Videos,” and click to watch the “Website Tour - 2018” video, then “Document Creation and Sharing” video.4. Finally, create and share the document that I explain in that second video!
That assignment will be due on Monday, August 20th (my birthday)!
(8th Grade)1. We began today by setting up our composition books. Please follow these instructions to keep your CB neat and organized this year:
2. Next, we performed “tableaus” to review for tomorrow’s summer reading test. You don’t have to make up this assignment, but come to class tomorrow prepared to take the test, unless you’ve made arrangements with MRs. Day not to.3. We did our first shadowbox of the year! Again, this isn’t something you can make up, but if you’re interested ask your classmates who “La Maupin” was!
If you were absent on
August 17th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. We took our summer reading tests! If you were absent, you need to arrange a time to make yours up ASAP. Remember, you only have two days for every day you’re absent to make up missed work.2. We ended the class by talking about expectations my students have for me. It is my goal to be the best teacher in the world. I know that I’m not there yet. If you EVER have ideas, suggestions, or constructive criticism for me, I want you to feel very free to talk to me about them.
If you were absent on
August 20th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)1. Warm Up: In three sentences or fewer, tell me the plot of your favorite movie or book.
We used those descriptions to lead in to a discussion about plot.
2. Next, we set up a reference section of our composition books. Follow these steps to set yours up:
1) Turn to the very back of your composition book, then count in twelve pages. Title that twelfth page Vocabulary Notebook.
2) Count two more pages backward, and title that page Greek and Latin Roots.
3) Finally, count five more pages back and title that page Grammar Stuff.
3. We wrote down a diagram and definitions of plot terms. Copy these into your Vocabulary Notebook.
4. Spellbound Plot Arc: Finally, we watched a short film, and plotted its plot elements on that graph. Here’s a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_B2UZ_ZoxU .
You should draw a new plot arc, watch the video, and plot its pieces on that graph. You may talk to your teammates to make sure you complete this assignment correctly.
5. Homework - Log back in to your ClassLink & Office 365 Account.Open your “Who I Am, and How I Learn” document, and read my comments. Write a response to the question I asked on a Post-It, and turn it in to me! Due by Friday.
1. 2. I reminded students about this week’s homework, which is due to me by Friday. Homework: Log back in to your ClassLink & Office 365 Account.Open your “Who I Am, and How I Learn” document, and read my comments. Write a response to the question I asked on a Post-It, and turn it in to me! Due by Friday.3. We started reading “My Favorite Chaperone,” after a very short explanation of where Kazakhstan is. You should read this story from the beginning to Line 119. While we read, we shared what we knew, and what we could infer about Maya, and had to “Prove It” when we made our inferences. 4. We played a quick game of “Switch Sides If…” You don’t have to make this up, but I’m sorry you missed it!5. I previewed the Guiding Questions that we’ll answer tomorrow. 6. I went over how to make test corrections. You can see these instructions here: https://www.leonschools.net/Page/7077 . You may use these to improve your summer reading test grade! I’ll hand the bubble sheets back tomorrow.
(8th Grade)1. Warm Up: Lines 66-67 of “My Favorite Chaperone” say this: “and it felt like our family just huddled together on a tiny island in the middle of a great American sea.” Using what you know about Maya’s family so far, explain what she means by this. Respond in a sentence or two.
2. We read “My Favorite Chaperone” up to line 258. You should catch up on that reading, and answer these Guiding Questions:
1. What can you infer about the main character, just from the first paragraph (lines 1-14)? Use textual evidence to support your answer.
2. Lines 15-56 reveal background on and aspects of the story’s characters, setting, and conflict. What details explain how an international dating magazine brought the narrator’s family to America? Explain how those details reveal characters and setting.
3. The story’s central conflict is revealed in lines 68-78, what is it? What does the conflict reveal about the narrator’s parents?
4. Reread lines 111-125 to find words and phrases that reveal Maya’s reaction to being called to the office. What does the way she speaks to Mr. Walsh reveal about her feelings?
3. We did our first Everyday Edit! Get one of these half-pages from the “Here’s What You Missed” binder, and follow its instructions.
4. Finally, students retrieved all work from their period’s return basket, and taped it into their composition books. Remember to tape things in chronologically (so, for example, the summer reading test we took last week should be taped in with last week’s assignments) and neatly, with one piece of tape.
If you were absent on
August 23rd, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)1. For our warm up today, we finished yesterday’s Guiding Questions. Since you were absent, you will need to finish these on your own. You may borrow a book from Mrs. Day, or use your online textbook to answer these four questions:
1. What can you infer about the main character, just from the first paragraph (lines 1-14)? Use textual evidence to support your answer.
2. Lines 15-56 reveal background on and aspects of the story’s characters, setting, and conflict. What details explain how an international dating magazine brought the narrator’s family to America? Explain how those details reveal characters and setting.
3. The story’s central conflict is revealed in lines 68-78, what is it? What does the conflict reveal about the narrator’s parents?
4. Reread lines 111-125 to find words and phrases that reveal Maya’s reaction to being called to the office. What does the way she speaks to Mr. Walsh reveal about her feelings?
2. Draw Conclusions Chart – Get a chart from the “Here’s What You Missed” binder, and read pp. 10-13 of “My Favorite Chaperone.” You’re going to fill in this chart to show that you understand the inherent humor and character development in this scene. In class, we did this in our teams, so you only have to do two rows of the chart since you’re working on your own.3. Placemat Consensus – Again, this was done in teams, so you’ll have do to it on your own. Here are the four questions. Answer them in your composition book as you continue to read “My Favorite Chaperone.”
If you were absent on
August 24th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. Warm Up – 1) Add the definition of characterization to your Vocabulary Notebook:
Characterization - the way a writer creates and develops characters, either directly stating their traits, or indirectly implying them through the characters’ thoughts and actions
2. For today’s Warm Up, find a quotation that is an example of indirect characterization (something the character says or does) in “My Favorite Chaperone.” Write the quotation, and explain what it taught you about that character.2. Students worked together to finish their Placemat Consensus assignments. Since you were absent, you’ll have to answer these questions on your own. Write in your composition book, and make sure to turn the CB in to Mrs. Day when you’re finished.3. Finally, we answered a R.A.G.E. question on large note cards. When I grade these, I’m going to look for their component parts. Make sure that you R – Restate/Reintroduce the question, A – Answer (all parts of) the question, G – Give text evidence, and E – Elaborate and End with a concluding statement. Here is both the prompt, and my teacher example: Prompt: Make a connection between “My Favorite Chaperone” and your own life. This could be a person in the story you identify with, an event that reminds you of something you’ve experienced, or anything else from the text that you can connect to…you. Respond to this prompt in a short, R.A.G.E.-style paragraph.
Mrs. Day’s Model: One of the parts of “My Favorite Chaperone” that I can connect to my life is the way Maya changes the principal’s words in the meeting with her father. The principal said, “Nurzhan was involved in quite a nasty fight,” but Maya told her father that he’d said, “Nurzhan was in a little fight” (p.11). This reminds me of times when, as a kid, I would twist something that had happened at school to sound less bad when I told my parents about it. In that way my life is just like Maya’s.
If you were absent on
August 27th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. Warm Up - Write a short, objective summary of “My Favorite Chaperone” so far. Remember, in a summary you select the biggest, most important elements of the story, and leave out smaller, less significant ones. Being objective means that you leave out any personal feelings or opinions.
2. Next, we finished reading “My Favorite Chaperone.” You should finish this short story on your own. In class, we talked about the symbolism of the bracelet that Mama gives to Maya. We’ll be talking a lot about symbolism this year – it’s when something stands for something beyond itself. In this case, the bracelet symbolizes Mama’s increased understanding of how things are in America, and the trust she now has in Maya.
3. Analyze the Text – Complete ONLY numbers 2, 4, and 6 on p. 28.
4. I shortened the Analyze the Text assignment because a lot of students had been struggling to finish some of our recent assignments. ClassLink wasn’t cooperating, there were issues with the online textbook, etc. So, we used the rest of our class time today to finish any of these assignments that weren’t complete:
- Who I Am, and How I Learn
- The homework that went with Who I Am, and How I Learn
- Placemat Consensus
- Guiding Questions
- R.A.G.E. Paragraph
- Analyze the Text
If you were absent on
August 28th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. For our warm up today, we did a quick creativity-building game. You don’t need to make this up, but I’m sorry you missed it!
2. Turn to your “Grammar Stuff” section in your composition book, and take some notes about Imperative Mood:
Make sure to complete the assignment on p. 30.
3. Next, students completed a Written Response about “My Favorite Chaperone.” Here are the instructions and grading rubric:
4. Finally, I went over what students should do to prepare for tomorrow’s quiz. Use your composition book to review: The Plot Arc (the terms, their definitions, and where they go on the arc). Also, apply the Plot Arc to “MFC.” Also, review your Guiding Questions, Analyze the Text, and your Vocabulary Notebook.
If you were absent on
August 29th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. After a few minutes to study, students first took the “My Favorite Chaperone” quiz. As soon as you return to school, please make arrangements with Mrs. Day to make this up.
2. Students were given time to finish yesterday’s “My Favorite Chaperone” Written Response. Please finish this, and make sure it’s your best work. I’m still figuring out what my student know, and are already good at, and this is our first formal writing assessment. Make sure your organization, evidence, and conventions are the best of which you are capable.
3. Students got back their work from their class’ return basket. Please collect any of yours, and fix any Conventions Jail errors!
4. We ended today with a shadowbox, so if you’re interested Google the story of “Blind” Willie Johnson.
If you were absent on
August 30th, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1. Warm Up - Sometimes it takes an adventure to learn something new about yourself. Have you ever gone to a new place, or tried a new activity, that taught you something you didn’t know about yourself? Write about an experience like that, in which a new adventure or new challenge taught you something about yourself. Also, get a Close Reader from the counter! You’ll need it to read the next short story. 2. I went over the most-missed questions from yesterday’s quiz. The takeaway? RTQ; ATQ. Read The Question; Answer The Question!2. We read the story “Golden Glass” together. For once, I didn’t make students write anything! We just read and discussed this very complex story. Please read it, and be prepared to work with it tomorrow.
If you were absent on
August 31st, 2018here’s what we did:
(8th Grade)
1.
2. We did a second reading of “Golden Glass” in which my students selected the Close Reader tasks that they felt were the most interesting/valuable. Because you weren’t here, you can just select four of the tasks and complete them.3. We ended the day with a Candy Quiz! I’m sorry you missed it!
