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Page Last Updated Nov 17, 2009
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November 17 and 18, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR ALL CLASSES: Please make sure you have selected a poem from your drafts. This is the poem you will revise, edit, and publish for a grade. After you have selected the poem, transfer it from your student notebook to a separate piece of paper. Work on improving the poem. Is it: *Specific? *Descriptive and detailed? (Similes, metaphors, great word choice, etc.?) *Full of emotion, thoughts, feelings? *Written in poetry format? *Checked for spelling? Next class, we will work together on really improving these drafts, and we will publish them in the short week we have before Thanksgiving. ***** November 13 and 16, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR ALL CLASSES: Please study for your VOCABULARY TEST which will be administered next time. Also, please complete a draft of a poem that focuses on the use of imagery. After the vocabulary test, you will select the draft you want to take to publication, either the "Where I'm From" poem, the personification poem, or the imagery poem (or any other poem you have created recently). ***** November 11 and 12, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR ALL CLASSES: Please write a personification poem in the freewriting section of your notebook and complete the TAKS multiple choice practice, "A New Job for Barbie". Thank you. ***** November 5 and 6, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR ALL CLASSES: Please write your version of the "Where I'm From" poem in the freewriting section of your student notebook. Focus on being descriptive, detailed, and including thoughts and feelings. ***** November 1 and 2, 2009 I will be evaluating the reader's response section of your notebook the next time that I see you. Please make sure your notebook is ready to be graded. The rubric for this evaluation is located at the beginning of the notebook. I have elected to evaluate the writing section of the notebook later in the quarter to give students more time to work. ***** October 26 and 27, 2009 HOMEWORK/ALL CLASSES: Today students peer edited each other's literary analysis essays for proper grammar and spelling. A final draft of your essay - written in your best handwriting - is due next class. Remember, no essay means you will be assigned AIP. ***** October 22 and 23, 2009 FOR HOMEWORK/ALL CLASSES: Today students peer reviewed each other's literary analysis essay rough drafts. For homework tonight, please rewrite the rough draft incorporating any suggestions your peer reviewer made. We will edit on Monday and Tuesday, and the final draft will be due Thursday and Friday of next week. ***** October 20 and 21, 2009 FOR HOMEWORK/ALL CLASSES: Please create your rough draft for your literary analysis essay in which you explain and prove how Ruthie in "Edna's Ruthie" is childlike. I have sent you home with a sample essay and an easy-to-follow outline. Please make sure you complete this rough draft. I know this kind of writing is different from what you are used to, but learning how to write a thesis statement and defend it with text evidence will serve you well in high school, I promise! Today, we also went over the TAKS Writing Charles Schulz multiple choice practice. Remember that to pass the TAKS Writing test, you must score at least a 2 on the essay and pass about 70% of the multiple choice questions. The test is in early March. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT GRADES: Students, I will accept late work up until this Friday the 23rd. After that, grades are closed. I am sending home failure notices for any student who was passing at progress report and is currently failing. Please get all work in by Friday to avoid a failing grade. ***** October 14 and 15, 2009 FOR HOMEWORK/ALL CLASSES: Please complete the TAKS Writing Multiple Choice practice packet about Charles Schulz. This week we start our literary analysis essay unit. In addition, GT students are also doing advanced analyzing work with a poem. ***** October 8 and 9, 2009 FOR HOMEWORK: Today in class we discussed characterization, both direct and indirect. for homework, please write a reader's response letter that focuses on how a character from the book you are reading is characterized. What evidence do you have to prove your character is a certain way? Good discussions today! ***** October 3 and 5, 2009 FOR HOMEWORK: For all classes, please study for your vocabulary test on our Unit 1 words. ***** September 30 and October 1, 2009 Today we edited our rough drafts using an editing checklist. FOR HOMEWORK: Please make sure your FINAL DRAFT is copied over in your very best handwriting (no typing, please). Make corrections to errors you found while you were editing your piece. Staple this final draft to the top of your personal narrative packet. This will be due the next time I see you. This essay is for a major grade and is worth 30% of your grade. It will be graded using the rubric I provided. Please do your very best and see me with any questions! ***** September 25 and 28, 2009 Today we peer revised our essays for focus, organization, elaboration, and voice. We also reviewed our vocabulary words. For homework, please make sure you write another draft of your essay reflecting your peer reviewer's comments. Staple this latest version on top of your writing packet, so you can edit it for grammar and spelling next class. You may want to ask a mom, dad, or other person to read your essay and offer their advice. Have a nice long weekend! ***** September 23 and 24, 2009 Today we spent time working on rough drafts for our first personal narrative. HOMEWORK FOR TONIGHT: Please make sure your rough draft it complete for our next class so you can participate in peer review and revising. ***** September 21 and 22, 2009 This week we begin creating our first writing product. Our first product is a personal narrative. Students will plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish a piece. HOMEWORK FOR TONIGHT: All students must create a plan for their first personal narrative on a separate sheet of lined paper. Do not create this plan in your student notebook. This is for a homework grade. Students who do not make a plan will be assigned AIP. Thank you! ***** September 15 and 16, 2009 Today in class we reviewed compound sentences and practiced writing them. We also made sure every student had a book they felt comfortable reading in class during silent reading, and I let you know about the reading conferences we will start having this week. Students, tonight for homework take a moment and contribute to your student notebook. Either write a writing entry where you practice some of the skills we've learned (showing not telling, compound sentences) or write a letter to me about your reading in the reader's response section of your notebook. If you want to be ambitious, write both a writing entry AND a reader's response entry. The key is to make sure that you are regularly adding to your notebook. If you only write in your notebook during classtime, you will not be generating enough material for a good grade. More importantly, you will not be getting enough practice with the skills we are learning in class! BOTTOM LINE: Contributing regularly to your student notebook IS your homework! ***** September 9, 2009 By now, almost all classes have learned how to create reader's response letters and writing entries in their student notebooks. (GT/5th period is the only class that has yet to learn reader's response - we will touch on that next week.) Students, remember that I do not give a lot of typical "homework" such as worksheets and set reading. This does not mean you should not be working at home. Continue to contribute to your writer's section of your notebook and the reader's response section at home as well as in class. These contributions will make up a large part of your grade. A NOTE ABOUT OPEN HOUSE Parents, unfortunately an out of town wedding has called me away from Houston the night of Open House. All my apologies for missing this event. Ms. Jozwiak (Room 111) and Mr. Harris (Room 115) have detailed handouts about my class. Please pick one up on the night of Open House and feel free to contact me with any information. ***** September 8, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR PERIODS 7 and 8: Today we learned how to create a strong reader's response in our student notebooks. These reader's responses will be very important - not just because they'll be for a grade, but because they will serve as my tools for evaluating your reading skills. Most importantly, they will also serve as tools for you, the student, for reflecting on your reading strengths, challenges, likes, and dislikes. They will help you become lifelong, critical readers. Tonight for homework, please write one high-quality reader's response in your student notebook. You may write it about Gary Soto's "Seventh Grade" (which we read together in class), or you may write it about any book or story you have read recently (within the last month). Remember that a high quality reader's response doesn't have to be long - half a page is okay. Just remember that it has to be thoughtful! Check the examples in your book and reflect back on what we practiced together today in class. ***** September 4, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR PURPLE DAY CLASSES: Today we learned how to create a strong reader's response in our student notebooks. These reader's responses will be very important - not just because they'll be for a grade, but because they will serve as my tools for evaluating your reading skills. Most importantly, they will also serve as tools for you, the student, for reflecting on your reading strengths, challenges, likes, and dislikes. They will help you become lifelong, critical readers. Tonight for homework, please write one high-quality reader's response in your student notebook. You may write it about Gary Soto's "Seventh Grade" (which we read together in class), or you may write it about any book or story you have read recently (within the last month). Remember that a high quality reader's response doesn't have to be long - half a page is okay. Just remember that it has to be thoughtful! Check the examples in your book and reflect back on what we practiced together today in class. ***** September 2 and 3, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR ALL CLASSES: Today we focused on the importance of showing, not just telling, in our writing. We created an entry in the writing section of our student notebooks where we practiced this skill. For homework tonight, add at least one half a page of writing onto your existing entry, or create a new entry of at least a half a page. You may write about any topic you choose, but please make sure you focus on showing, not just telling! ***** August 31 and September 1, 2009 HOMEWORK FOR ALL CLASSES: Please complete vocabulary definitions for Unit 1 words. Remember each word needs a definition, part of speech (noun, verb, etc.) and at least one other form of the word (e.g. nice = niceness or nicely). This homework goes in the vocabulary section of your student notebook - NOT on a piece of paper. Today we took an assessment of summer reading. Alternative assignments were given to students new to JMS. All other students were responsible for taking this assessment. ***** August 27 and 28, 2009 HOMEWORK: Periods 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7: STUDY FOR WOLF RIDER TEST and COMPLETE READING GUIDE. Period 5: STUDY FOR WARRIORS DON'T CRY TEST (review book) and MAKE SURE YOUR SUMMER POSTCARD IS IN. ALL PERIODS: I would suggest showing your parents and/or guardians your notebook for this class. They can take a look at the different sections and understand how it will be used and assessed. Make sure you take very good care of this notebook! Do not lose it! **** August 23, 2009 Welcome back to school! I do hope this will be a fun year full of learning! Please be advised that all students will be assessed on their summer reading the week of August 31st. A test on Wolf Rider will be given Monday, August 31st for Purple Day classes and Tuesday, September 1st for Gray Day classes. My GT class meets 5th period and will take an assessment on Warriors Don't Cry on September 1st. Regular students should be prepared to turn in their summer reading guides on Wolf Rider by Monday, August 31st. This will count for a homework grade. I will try to make copies in case you lost yours over the summer. If you'd like to print out your own copy, go here. GT students should have mailed the postcard associated with their second summer book (chosen from a list) by this time. Please bring it to school if you have not yet sent it in. See you in the classroom! Ms. Blessington ***** July 30, 2009 For any upcoming 7th grader or their parents, I hope the summer is finding you happy and healthy. I am looking forward to the 2009-10 school year and meeting all of you! For any parents or students who are thinking ahead, I wanted to give you a heads up on materials. I do not require a lot. Please make sure you have a sturdy two-pocket folder (any color). Please make sure you have blue or black pens and lined paper. Finally, please make sure you bring ONE of the following to my classroom in the first few weeks of school (remember only ONE is required - please choose).
Looking forward to meeting all of you. I hope you have completed (or are close to completing) summer reading. Check out the JMS website for details. If you have questions, feel free to E-mail me at jblessin@houstonisd.org Cheers, Ms. Blessington
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