Mrs. Girard's Reading Class

Week 16 (December 14-18)

This week we will be working on our final book report project for The Outsiders.  If you look under "My Files", you will find the templates for both book reports.  You will have class time from the beginning of the week through Wednesday to work on your project.  Whatever you have not finished by Wednesday, you will need to complete at home.  All book reports are due on Thursday when you will be presenting your final project to the class.  We will finish book report presentations on Friday.  We will also have a mini assessment on Friday on our focus for the month of December, Sequence.  If there is any remaining time on Friday, we will use our earned Preferred Activity Time.

Week 15 (December 7-11)

Monday will be our total review day for our final exam on The Outsiders.  The final exam on the novel will be on Tuesday.  We will use our earned PAT time to watch the movie on the novel on Wednesday and Thursday.  On Friday, the 8th graders will be taking their 2nd Science baseline test in the computer lab.  All 6th and 7th graders will be working on a sequencing activity while 8th graders are in the lab. 

Week 14 (November 30-December 4):

On Monday and Tuesday we will finish reading The Outsiders and will be completing our red student journals and study guides.  Wednesday will be our vocabulary test over all vocabulary from part 2 of the novel, as well as our concepts on main idea and text features.  On Thursday, we will visit the media center, so don't forget to bring your library books to school that day.  We will also be doing a fun group activity where we will translate some of the old, out-dated words and phrases from the novel into present day terms.  On Friday, we will be in the computer lab all period for you to take your baseline math test which is being taken through the reading and critical thinking classes.  Please bring a book to read in case you finish the test before the period ends. 

Week 13 (November 16-20):

On Monday, we will continue to work on this month's focus, text features.  We will do a modeled practice activity (teacher-demonstrated) with the newspaper, and then a guided practice activity (teacher and students together).  On Tuesday, students will use Monday's practice as a guide to do the same newspaper activities (using different articles) with a partner.  On Wednesday, students will split into their break-out groups to discuss the chapter 8 reflection questions from The Outsiders.  We will then begin reading chapter 9 of the novel.  On Thursday, we will continue to read Chapter 9 of The Outsiders.  Students will complete the Chapter 9 Study Guide Questions before moving on.  On Friday, we will read chapters 10 and 11 of the novel, as these are short chapters.  Students will complete pages 13 and 14 of their red student journals and will complete a T-Chart graphic organizer which will help them to analyze the events in these 3 chapters. 

Week 12  (November 9-13):

On Monday, students will read an article about Warrick Dunn, and will locate text features within the article.  Students will complete a 5W and How Model for this article.  Tuesday, students will continue working in the "Choices" magazine to identify text features.  On Wednesday, students will complete a comprehension quiz and vocabulary activity after the reading in "Choices".  On Thursday, we will continue reading in The Outsiders, and will complete the reflection in the red student journals.  Friday, we will be in the computer lab where 8th graders will finish their EPEPs with Mr. Zamora, and 6th and 7th graders will continue working on their Odyssey activities. 

Week 11 (November 2-6):

I apologize for not getting my schoolnotes up this week.  I was out with a family illness.

Week 10 (October 26-30):

Due to safety drills, EPEPs, and our newspaper activities taking longer than expected last week, some things from last week's agenda have been moved to this week's agenda.  We will organize portfolios on Monday to go home with students the same day.  These are to be signed and are due back by Wednesday for 200 points.  This will be the final grade of the first 9 weeks.  We will be doing the activities listed for last week for The Outsiders this week...reading chapter 7 and doing the coordinating activities.  On Tuesday, we will be doing another newspaper activity to help us identify the main idea in non-fiction writing.  We will finish this on Wednesday.  On Thursday, we will move on to Chapter 8 of the novel.  Friday, we will be in the computer lab to take the Odyssey Learning Path test.

Week 9 (October 19-22):

Every day this week we will do a quick word wall review of our new vocabulary.  Remember that our Focus Lesson this month is on Main Idea, so we will being doing mini lessons on this topic every day.  On Monday, we will have our break out groups to discuss our reflection questions for Chapter 6 of The Outsiders.  We will begin reading Chapter 7 if time permits.  On Tuesday, we will be working on a newspaper lesson with USA Today.  This will help to improve your reference and research skills.  The lesson will cover how to locate and identify newspaper features.  On Wednesday, 8th graders will be back in the computer lab with Mr. Zamora to finish their EPEPs.  All of my other students will be working on a fun Comprehension Detective activity!  Thursday, we will be organizing our porfolios to go home for the end of the 9 weeks.  Students must bring the portfolios back to me by Tuesday (NO EXCEPTIONS!).  These are worth 200 points, and must be signed by your parents!  Do not forget, as this can really make or break your grade right here at the end of the 9 weeks.  We wil also finish Chapter 7 of the novel and complete our study guide questions.  

Week 8 (October 12-16):

On Monday we will be introduced to new vocabulary for chapters 6-12 of The Outsiders.  We will create words maps for each vocabulary word.  On Tuesday, we will begin reading chapter 6 of the novel and complete the related study guide questions.  I have attached the file for the new study guide on this page.  You may download a copy to have at home.  On Wednesday, my 8th graders will be meeting with Mr. Zamora in the computer lab for their EPEPs.  All other students will be engaged in a lesson on main idea.  On Thursday, we will complete chapter 6 of the novel, as well as pages 9 and 10 in the red student journal.  We will complete a sequence chart for chapters 5 and 6 of the novel.  We will organize portfolios on Friday.  We will complete a characterization map on Johnny where we will analyze why Johnny decided to turn himself in.  In addition, we will work on an analyzing plot activity to look at the conflict resolution between Ponyboy and Darry.  We will then write a summary paragraph about the conflict resolution.  As always, please continue to bring materials for silent reading time.   

Week 7 (October 5-October 9):

We did not get to Chapter 5 of the novel last week, so we will be reading that on Monday.  Tuesday will be our progress check and review day.  We will get into our reflection groups to discuss our journal questions and responses.  We will also go over all materials from Chapters 1-5 of The Outsiders.  Wednesday will be our review day...we will play a game in a team format to review for our exam on the first half of the novel.  Thursday will be our exam on Chapters 1-5 of the novel and will also cover our 12 vocabulary words.  We will work on portfolio organization on Friday and use some earned preferred activity time if time and behavior permits.  Please remember to bring a book, magazine, or newspaper for silent reading time.

Week 6 (September 28-October 2):

We will begin Chapter 4 of The Outsiders this week.  Continue to listen for your vocabulary words being used in your everyday life so you can share with the class.  By the end of this week, we should be through Chapter 5 in the book.  We will complete pages 7 & 8 in the red student journal, and work on a cause and effect graphic organizer related to how the characters' actions in the story affect the plot.  We will have another progress check on Friday and will go over all work for Chapters 1-5 of the novel.  We will have an exam on the first half of the book (including vocabulary) sometime next week.  As always, make sure you are coming to class prepared, which includes having your own material for silent reading.  Have a great week!

Week 5 (September 22-25):

We will begin Chapter 3 of The Outsiders this week.  On Tuesday, we will review everything we have covered so far in our student journals.  This will also be a progress check for me to see that you are keeping up with your class work.  On Wednesday, we will complete the K and W portions of a K-W-L Chart before moving on in the novel.  We should finish Chapter 3 on Thursday, and we will complete and discuss our Study Guide questions.  Remember to be listening for our vocabulary words in the real world setting so you can share with the class during our "connecting words to self" ticket activity.  On Friday, we will do our weekly wrap up, progress monitoring check for fluency, and portfolio organization.  By Monday, September 28, all students must have their own material for silent reading.  Don't forget!!!

Week 4 (September 14-18):

This week, we will be continuing with Chapter 2 of The Outsiders, which we did not finish last week.  We will work on 2 different graphic organizers ("Details Web" and "Describing an Event").  On Tuesday, we will be taking the FAIR test.  This has taken the place of Kaplan and will test your comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and spelling.  We will take the FAIR test 3 times this year to montior your progress in reading.  On Friday, we will be attending the Book Fair in the media center.  Don't forget to bring your money if you plan on making purchases!!!

Week 3 (September 8-11, 2009)

Remember that Monday is Labor Day, so enjoy your day off!

This week will we begin reading chapter 1 of The Outsiders.  As we read, we wil be completing our study guide questions and writing in our student journals.  We will also be completing a characterization actvity on the character, Johnny Cade, after reading chapter 2.  We will be engaged in daily interactive word wall activites to help you incorporate your new vocabulary words into your personal vocabulary.  These words are included on The Outsiders study guide that you can download from this page.

**Some of you are still forgetting to bring reading material for silent reading time.  You need a book, magazine, or newspaper to read in class every day.  It is very important that you bring the necessary reading materials to class because I want this to be a time when you are free to read something that you have picked out and that interests you.  I have included the Reading Journal Guidelines below.**

Reading Journal Guidelines

·        Each journal entry must be at least 6 sentences

·        It should include a brief summary (2-3 sentences telling about what you read)

·        It should also include a reflection (what are your thoughts about what you read?)

-I think…

-I feel…

-I wonder…

-I predict

-This reminds of…

·        The first line of every journal should be formatted like this:

Date           Title of Book           Page #’s Read (P. 1-7)

·        If you read a newspaper or magazine article, you need to write the title of the publication, as well as the title of the article(s)

·        Example:

12/09/08       Scared Straight/Seventeen      (P. 17-22)

·        Skip one line between each journal entry.  DO NOT WASTE PAPER by doing each entry on a new sheet!  Just skip a line. 

Week 2 (August 31-September 4, 2009)

*REMINDER*:  You need a book, magazine, or newspaper for silent reading time starting Monday, as well as a spiral notebook for your daily reading journal.  If you are having difficulty getting a notebook, please let me know so I can help you get one.

Agenda:

We will be learning The Six Minute Solution procedures, which will be our daily fluency practice.  You will be doing this daily activity with your new partners that I assigned on Friday.

We will be starting our first novel unit this week, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton.  You may wish to get your own copy of this book to have at home, as I only have a class set that will stay in the classroom.  We will be doing a guided reading of The Outsiders in class, utilizing the various reading strategies, along with various vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, etc.  I have attached a copy of the study guide we will be using for Chapters 1-5 of the novel (see the download section of this page).

We will be having our first SRI test on Friday, which will give you your lexile score.  This score will enable you to check out books that are perfectly matched with your reading level.  Don't forget to bring back your library form so you can check out books from the media center!

Week 1 (August 24-28, 2009):

Welcome back to school!  This week we will be getting to know each other, learning the various classroom procedures, and getting into the swing of being back at school.  I'm looking forward to a fantastic school year!

We will be doing a "ME" project this week.  It will be due on Friday, August 28th.  I have included detailed instructions below.  In addition, we will be having a quiz on Friday on my classroom rules and procedures, which we will be reviewing daily in class throughout the week.  The quiz will be worth a total of 100 points.  75 points will be for the quiz, and 25 points will be for returning your signed Student/Parent Information sheet...many of you have already completed this portion if you came to orientation and filled out the blue form in my room.  

"ME" Project Instructions...Choose 1 of the 3 options to do for your project:

“Me Bag (Option 1)

1.    You will need a large brown paper bag.  Most grocery stores will give you one.

2.   Decorate the bag with pictures that represent who you are.  These pictures can be drawings, portraits, or photographs.  They can be pictures of things you like, don’t like, friends, family, pets, etc.  Every side of your bag needs to be decorated.  Be sure to put your name on the bag.

3.   Inside your bag, place at least 5 objects that represent you.  These objects may include favorite things, awards you have won, keepsakes, etc.

4.   You must be prepared to share your “Me Bag” with the class.

This project is worth 100 points.

_____25 pts. Brown paper bag completely decorated

_____25 pts. 5 objects in the bag

_____25 pts. Overall effort and creativity

_____25 pts. Class Presentation

“Me Collage” (Option 2)

1.    Use a piece of poster board or cardboard as your background.

2.   Decorate your background with things that represent who you are.  You can use photographs, magazine clippings, articles, writing, poems, quotes, drawings, cartoons, stickers, etc. so long as they represent something about you.

3.   When selecting items to place on your board, ask yourself the following questions:

-Why have I selected these items?

-What do these items say about me?

-Do they represent who I am as a person? (interests, hobbies, personal values, goals, etc.)

*You will be graded on your effort and creativity*

This project is worth 100 points.

_____25 pts. Completely decorated collage

_____25 pts. At least 5 items on the collage about you

_____25 pts. Overall effort and creativity

_____25 pts. Class Presentation

“Me Rap” (Option 3)< o:p>

Write a rap about yourself.  Most raps rhyme in "couplets." That means lines rhyme two at a time. Lines 1 and 2 rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines.  Lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other, but not with the other lines.  And so on. The two lines that rhyme together are a "Couplet."  Your rap will need to include at least 10 couplets, which will equal a total of 20 lines.  It can be longer than that, but not shorter.  Your rap must be school appropriate in language and content.  Again, this is a rap about you.  It should make sense, and we should get a good feel of who you are when you present your rap to the class.  You may want to include things about your personality, likes, dislikes, values, goals, family, friends, pets, hobbies, etc. 

This project is worth 100 points

_____25 pts. Your rap includes at least 10 couplets

_____25 pts. Your rap tells at least 5 unique things about   you

_____25 pts. Overall effort and creativity…Does it make sense?

_____25 pts. Class Presentation